The Killing of Jordan Neely and the Sickness Within Our Hearts | Jumu'ah Khutbah | Imam Khalid Latif | 5.5.2023

How is it than an entire crowd on a train is able to sit back and watch a man taking his last breaths and do NOTHING? 

What are they looking at the world with? Just their eyes? Or with their hearts? 

If we’re not horrified and outraged at the killing of Jordan Neely, then what does that say about the state of OUR hearts? 

Imam Khalid Latif is a University Chaplain for New York University, and Executive Director of the Islamic Center at NYU (ICNYU). Under his leadership, ICNYU became the first ever established Muslim student center at an institution of higher education in the United States. Imam Latif’s exceptional dedication and ability to cross interfaith and cultural lines on a daily basis brought him recognition throughout New York City, so much so that in 2007, Mayor Michael Bloomberg nominated Imam Latif to become the youngest chaplain in history of the New York City Police Department at the age of 24. 

Most recently, Imam Latif was selected as one of 60 New York City leaders to serve on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s transition team, helping to recommend and select individuals for key roles in the current NYC administration and was also appointed to a “Task Force to Combat Hate” by NYC Public Advocate Letitia James to deal with the rise in Islamophobic, antisemitic, and anti-Sikh sentiment in NYC.

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