User:Abu1Abdullah

Malik A. Evangelatos is a Greek-American revert to Islam who gained critical acclaim as an athlete, novelist/writer, rap musician and celebrated TV Personality. https://www.youtube.com/user/Abu1Abdullah?feature=mhee Evangelatos has also establish of the Islamic Society of Ukiah and has shifted his life work to serving Islam. http://www.islamicsocietyofukiah.org/ His organization (ISU) promotes the growth of Islam and fosters unity, brotherhood, and cooperation amongst the diverse Islamic Community in his native California. Before his well-known conversion to Islam, Evangelatos was a notable rap musician and fiction novelist living in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Evangelatos frequented literary circles in Hollywood and Brentwood, styling his literary works after J.D. Salinger. His novel and rap album, The Urban Adventures of Jacques Moves, were inspired by Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Evangelatos, whose birth name is Panagis Dionysios Evangelatos, was born in Walnut Creek, California in 1982, but was raised in rural Ukiah, California. Known locally as "Pete", he gained recognition as an excellent basketball player throughout the northern regions of the State as a youth. Ethnically, his parents are from the Ioanian Island of Cephalonia, Greece. His mother was born in Mandara, Egypt whereas his father was born and raised on the Greek Island itself, both were raised as Greek Orthodox Christians. Furthermore, his mother's family legally gained entry to the United States as a result of the political crisis in Egypt during the rule of Jamal Abdul Nassar.. His father entered the country undocumented while serving as a merchant marine through the California port of Martinez. Evangelatos, was admitted to the University of California of Los Angeles, as a Russian Studies major, but before completing the first term of coursework, he decided against his academic decision. After further consideration, Evangelatos transferred to the English Department, where he later earned a Degree in English and World Literature. While living in Los Angeles, Evangelatos pursued a career in rap music under the tutelage of Billy "Chyll" Smith, an accalimed music producer and song writer in the R & B community. Evangelatos used the pseudonym Jacques Moves, where he gained some notoriety for his artistic creativity and literary style. Evangelatos began a short career in journalism as a columnist for the Anderson Valley Advertiser, but decided to discontinue writing after he accepted Islam in order to further his Islamic Studies. Evangelatos rediscovered Islam accidentally when he stumbled upon an English translation of the Holy Qur'an in September 2007 while casually browsing in a Jewish Bookstore. Evangelatos would later become popularly known as Mullah Malik or Shaykh Malik, but most commonly as brother Malik, in large part due to the fact that he wears a long beard and is known to sport Afghan/Pak attire and enjoy their cuisine (Biryani). He is often mistaken as someone from the tribal areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan because of his physical characteristics as well. Malik is fond of recalling that Alexander the Great traveled through Alexander, leaving behind descents and solidifying the relationship between these two ancient cultures. Evangelatos formally accepted Islam, becoming Malik Ali Evangelatos legally and spiritually, at the acclaimed Al Azhar University on his first of many trips to Cairo. Evangelatos arrived at the name Malik through his great appreciation of the Quranic Verses : 43:77,78. Theology Evangelatos considers himself a layman with regards to Islamic knowledge, and does not attach any labels to himself as has become the norm these days. Rather, he is pleased and honored to be a Muslim. Politics

Evangelatos is generally less concerned with domestic and international politics, and is mainly focused on spiritual matters. He's repeatedly stated that only through knowledge, understanding and due respect to Islam will America truly recover from their moral degradation and gain status as a true international power broker and moral standard bearer, a nation that can truly develop into a healthy, functioning community. Evangelatos encourages the study of the writings of controversial American Muslims such as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X), in order to afford the individual Muslim a more thorough and encompassing understanding of the broad range of ideas and comprehensiveness of Islam, in additional to the history of Islam in America. Furthermore, Evangelatos is largely considered a moderate by Muslims and non-Muslims, and is generally apolitcal. Mendocino County 2005-2009 Evangelatos served his community in Ukiah, California as an employee at the Health & Human Services Agency in Mendocino County, where he quietly works to establish "the Salat (Islamic Prayer) and Zakat (Islamic Charity)" in his personal life, as well as engaging in various Da'wa activities in his locality. In 2008 he became engaged to a well-known Egyptian Environmentalist Soha Abdou Abdel Reheem. Ms. Abdel Reheem has given many dedicated years of service to the Egyptian equivalent to the Enivornmental Protection Agency, commonly referred to as the EEAA in the Maadi section of Cairo, where she contributed greatly to the conservation and protection of the Egyptian Governates along the Mediterranean Sea Coast from Sinai to Libya in the east and west, and Alexandria to Aswan in the north and south. Additionally, Ms. Abdel Reheem is largely responsible for implementing programs to ensure the continued existence of the Bedouin desert tribes of the South Sinai Governate. Her significant contributions to the United Nations Development Project as the Project Manager of the GEF Unit in Egypt have also proven to be extremely beneficial in improving the environmental situation in her native Egypt. San Francisco (2009-2011) After marriage Evangelatos relocated himself and his family to San Francisco, California, where he enjoyed living amongst the thriving Muslim community there. San Francisco is home to Muslims from all around the world, most notably from Yemen, South Asia and Afghsnitan, in addition of course to the numerous Americans who have accepted Islam. Evangelatos first became acquinted with the Muslims there by frequenting Restaurants like Pakwan located on 18th and Valencia, in addition to the numerous Halaal shops on Geary, Sutter, Larkin, Fillmore, Mission and Polk. Evangelatos is well known throughout the San Francisco Community, where he thoroughly enjoyed the colorful and vibrant community of Muslims from all around the world. Sometimes Evangelatos can be spotted performing the Friday prayer on Van Ness in Sutter with the Yemeni Community, or other times in the African-American neighborhood of Fillmore. He also loved to visit the oldest Mosque in California established by the South Asian community located on Crescent Street off of Mission. Additionally, Evangelatos doesn’t forget to visit the multi-ethnic and diverse Muslim communities in their two downtown locations. Evangelatos considers his most important achievement during his San Francisco stay is becoming a father, thereby adding in length to his long list of pseudonyms: Abu Abdullah (Father of Abdullah). His wife gave birth to their first child, Abdullah on October 27th, 2010. Cairo (2011-2012) After traveling to Egypt for a three week sabbatical, Evangelatos was offered a job working for the premier and pioneer English Language Islamic Channel, Huda TV. Evangelatos works in front of and behind the camera, hosting a variety of shows and world-renown guests, as well as writing and editing scripts, as well as representing Huda Academy, an online institute for Islamic e-Learning: www.hudaonlineacademy.com His programs Building A Better Future, Good Answer, Nation of Goodness, Syria Massacre, Eid Times, Viewers Pulse, Ramadan Pulse, and Let’s Talk can all be seen on his youtube channel Abu1Abdullah: https://www.youtube.com/user/Abu1Abdullah?feature=mhee Remarkably, after achieving international notoriety as a celebrated Muslim Revert Evangelatos has still managed to keep focus on his purpose, and is the same humble Muslim that he was before stepping in front of the camera, thankful to his Creator that He guided him to Islam, and that he has given him this great prosperity, wealth, fame, family, and most importantly: Faith. Most recently, Evangelatos was among the blessed Muslims who were honored by Allah to be among those who made the pilgrimage in the year 1433 (2012). May Allah accept his hajj, accept the hajj of all of Muslims and grant those who have not performed hajj the ability to do so soon, insha Allah.