Dr. Jihad Turk

Founding President

Phone: (714) 862-2926 ext. 7

Bayan Email: jturk@bayanonline.org

Jihad Turk is the founding President of Bayan Islamic Graduate School, a preeminent Muslim institution of higher education offering accredited Master’s degrees in the fields of Islamic Studies, Leadership, Education, and Chaplaincy. Bayan also offers a doctoral degree in ministry with a focus on Islamic Leadership.

Dr. Turk is a sought after national speaker on issues related Islam and Muslims in America, ethical leadership and spiritual formation of youth. Having served as an imam for many years at the Islamic Center of Southern California, one of the region's oldest and largest mosques, Dr. Turk is often consulted to provide mosque board trainings nationally.

Having been born to a Muslim-Palestinian father and a Christian-American mother in Phoenix Arizona, Jihad spent his college years traveling the Muslim world and exploring his roots and the Islamic tradition. He spent time in both the Islamic University of Medina where he studied Arabic and Islamic Studies, and in Iran where he studied Farsi at the University of Tehran and in Qum. He completed his undergraduate study at the University of California, Berkeley where he received his B.A. degree in History and Arabic. Jihad completed his Master’s degree at the University of Texas, Austin in Arabic and Islamic law and jurisprudence. In 1999, Jihad began his doctoral studies in Islamic Law at the University of California, Los Angeles and obtained his doctorate in education from the University of Southern California. He taught as adjunct faculty for many years at UCLA and at Southwestern School of Law.

Jihad has co-founded several interfaith organizations with the aim of collaboratively addressing homelessness, poverty and peacemaking.

Dr. Turk has been consulted by the White House and has traveled around the world (Indonesia, Morocco, Qatar, and France) for the US State Department to speak to Muslim communities abroad and represent the American Muslim Community. Jihad is a member of the USINDO, an NGO that aims to strengthen ties between the US and Indonesia.

Jihad has been profiled on the front page of the Los Angeles Times, regularly appears on NPR and other news outlets, has appeared numerous times on the History Channel and was featured in a documentary produced by the Annenberg Foundation’s www.explore.org about the Abrahamic faiths, entitled “Traveling with Jihad.”

Dr. Turk has received awards for his religious leadership by the US congress, the Valley Interfaith Council, and the South Coast Interfaith Council, has been acknowledged as a Local Hero by the World Festival of Sacred Music and was recognized as one of the 500 Most Influential people in Los Angeles by the LA Business Journal.

Community Service & Interfaith Activity

• UC President’s Council on Campus Climate, Culture, and Inclusion: Advisory Member
• Muslim Jewish High School Leadership Council: Advisory Board Member
• Islamic Society of North America: West Zone Rep. & Majlis al-Shura Member
• Levantine Cultural Center: Advisory Board Member
• ReGeneration: Board Member & Founding Board Member
• Muslim Youth Camp: Instructor
• The Christian-Muslim Consultative Group: Co-Chair & Co-Founder
• UMMA Community Clinic: Advisory Member

Education

B.A., University of California, Berkeley
M.A., University of Texas at Austin
Ed.D., University of Southern California