The Islamic Center of Prince Edward County (ICPEC) has selected Qadir Abdus-Sabur, Ph.D. as their new Resident Imam. A Vietnam Veteran and graduate of the University of Virginia, Imam Qadir has served as a leader in the Muslim community for the past 38 years. His role as a spiritual leader began in the early 80s where he served as the Resident Imam of Masjid Bilal in Richmond, and in the 90s as Imam and President of Muslim Teachers College in Randolph. In the early 2000s he was elected General Secretary of The Islamic Center of Virginia in Chesterfield County.

As a retired adjunct professor, Imam Qadir’s life-long love for education prompted him to be an active participant in creating educational opportunities for underserved communities. As a pillar in the Islamic School movement, he co-founded Tawheed Prep School and served as its first principal leading the school to a successful AdvancEd Accreditation.

His two most recent projects are targeted at helping students of all faiths to obtain an education that would otherwise be difficult to achieve. As Chairman of Srohume American Alliance, Inc., Imam Qadir oversees a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to schools in developing nations. Additionally, as Director of New African Ummah Online School, he runs a nationwide internet-based middle school that offers support to homeschoolers by providing traditional academics in a spiritual context. He believes that intellectual prowess must be guided by spiritual enlightenment for youngsters to develop to their full human potential.

Imam Qadir says “I have a simple vision for our Muslim community in Prince Edward County. I would like to see Muslims and other faith groups continue to work cooperatively for the uplift of our common virtuous norms and values.” As a Vietnam Veteran, Imam Qadir knows firsthand the importance of focusing on our similarities and not allowing differences to divide us. That is why he would also “like to establish a community center that would not only provide a location for Friday worship services for Muslims but could also serve as a center for youth and family activities.”

Over the years, Imam Qadir has served in many capacities as a spiritual leader for the local and global Muslim community and as a resource and inter-faith mentor for the community as a whole. He is looking forward to providing guidance and leadership to the Muslim community and working cooperatively with the Prince Edward community overall. When asked what he thought was the most important aspect of religious leadership, he said, “I have to quote the late Imam W. D. Mohammed who pointed out, ‘there is only one God, we just see him through different eyes.’ This is the message that I think we all need to live, learn and love by.”