Mateen Joshua Charbonneau
Mateen Joshua Charbonneau is an American Shia scholar and cleric.
Mateen Joshua Charbonneau | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 1982 Sumter, South Carolina |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Teacher in Imam Sadeq Hawza |
| religion | Shia Islam |
Biography
Born into a Christian family in 1982 in Sumter, South Carolina. Mateen is an American Muslim with French and Canadian descent. Converting to Shia Islam at the age of 17, Charbonneau chose the name Mateen meaning ‘strong’. Ayatollah Sayed Muhammad Taqi Modaressi crowned him with the Turban on 3rd of Shabaan, the birth anniversary of Imam Hussain, in Karbala in the year 2018. Mateen currently resides in Virginia, where he is still pursuing his higher studies along with providing online tuition and undertaking other activities including conducting Majalis and Friday congregations, supporting youth and adults in religious queries, etc.
Education
- Studied at Islamic Seminary of Imam Ali Center in Springfield, Virginia
- Islamic Studies Certificate from Harvard University
- Studied at Hawza in Najaf
- Studied at Hawza in Karbala
Career
- Faculty Member of John the Martyr Seminary, Karbala, 2019-Present
- Teacher at Imam Sadiq Howza, 2017-Present
Academic Activities
- Created a virtual library on Facebook by the name ‘Shia Books for Free Download’
- Set up an NPO named ‘2nd Chance Book’ for sending books to prisoners free of cost
- Conducted an online workshop on Autism Awareness
Books
- The Suffering of the Ahl ul Bayt and their Followers throughout History, Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013
- Christians who Defended and Died for Prophet Muhammad and his Family, Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014
- Mystery of the Shia, Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013
- A Study Guide for Logic: al-Manteq of Allama Muzaffer and al-Mujiz fil Manteq of Sayed Sadiq Shirazi Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016
- Prophetic Gems: Advice from Prophet Muhammad and His Family, Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017
- A Commentary to the Faith of Shia Islam of Allama Muzaffar, Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2018
- Recalling the Sacrifices of Karbala: English Museeba for the Nights of Muharram, independently published, 2019
Honors
- Certified for Mediation Training by the Northern Virginia Mediation Service at the 17th annual conference of Shia scholars of North America and Canada
The Authentic and melancholic depiction of tragedy of Karbala
In the book Recalling the Sacrifices of Karbala, by using heart-rendering words to portray the extant of grief of the tragedy of Karbala, Mateen Joshua Charbonneau solves two main problems faced by Shia scholars who recite the Majalis in English. One, unlike the beautiful and melodic representation of the events through poetries in Arabic, Persian or Urdu, lack of Shia poets in English does not allow the reciter to use phrases or sentences that can move the audience. Two, some events recited by the scholars do not have any textual base. The book is therefore propitious for those who want to recite events that have a basis in traditions using words that can capture the minds of the listeners.