Seize the Moment: Lead Boldly in the Age of AI

// Keynote

Location: FIVE-TWO-A

Time: 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM

Speaker: Sheikh Mohammad Elshinawy

Abstract:

Artificial intelligence presents humanity with existential threats—concentrated power in the hands of elites, surveillance that strips away privacy, algorithms that entrench injustice, and technologies weaponized against the oppressed. As Rubʿee ibn ʿĀmer declared before Rustum, our duty is “to free humanity from servitude to the creation and bring them to servitude to the Creator”—and AI is now the frontline of that struggle. This is a Fard Kifayah, a collective obligation that demands knowledge, courage, and leadership from Muslims who build on a legacy of civilizational innovation. In this spirit, Muslim leadership in AI is not only vital for our survival, but a gift the world needs: a vision of technology that liberates rather than enslaves. The Qur’an reminds us through Sunnat al-Tadāfuʿ (the law of struggle and counterbalance) and Sunnat al-Tadāwul (the rotation of power) that no domination is permanent. Just as the golden age of Islam turned knowledge into light for all humanity, so too can bold Muslim leadership today transform AI into a source of justice, dignity, and renewal for the world.

Speaker Biographies:

Sh. Mohamed Elshinawy — Shaykh Mohammad Elshinawy is a respected Islamic scholar and educator who bridges deep traditional learning with contemporary relevance. He studied Hadith at the Islamic University of Madinah and holds a degree in English Literature from Brooklyn College. He serves as Director and Research Fellow at Yaqeen Institute, and has translated key works for major Islamic institutions. He is also a graduate and instructor at Mishkah University.