Assim al-Hakeem

According to the biography on his website, from an interview in 2010, he was born on 23 November 1962 in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia and raised there until the age of 12 when his family moved to Jeddah. His family was Westernized and spoke with each other in English.

His education includes a B.A in linguistics from King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah in 1987, and a High diploma in Islamic studies from Umm al-Qura University in Makkah in 1998.

Prior to his Islamic work, he earlier worked from 1988 as an English teacher in High school, and later re-targeted his career towards the field of Human resources & Public relations. and worked for a few years as HR & PR Director at a Saudi Arabian earth moving and mining company.

He first preached (in Arabic) the Friday sermon in a mosque in 1989 - which came about when the mosque lost it's Imaam, and al-Hakeem's experience as a teacher meant that he was volunteered for the task. He became permanent Imam there, after preaching successfully.

His first steps into TV preaching came when he presented a program in Arabic for the well known ‘Iqra’’ channel, with sheikh Sa’eed Sha’lan. Which led two years later to preaching in English on the Saudi National TV second channel: a role that ran for three years.

In the past he has also spoken on Al-Majd TV, back when it had english channels.

He was for many years full-time Imam of a Masjid in Jeddah; but now with his other speaking roles and online work is only delivering Friday sermons there.

He was involved very early in Huda TV channel’s setup, and he was also the first Sheikh of Ask Huda.

Active in the english language in Da'wah (proselytizing of Islam), he takes part in Islamic radio and television programs - over time including PeaceTV, Questions and Answers (ASK HUDA), Umdatul Ahkaam, Youth Talk, Mercy to the Worlds, and on TV and Radio channels such as Al Huda, Iqra (in Arabic) and the Saudi 2 channel.

His website states that he has made study over several years of the works of the scholar Muhammad ibn al Uthaymeen, who was considered"a giant within conservative Salafi Islam".

He lectures in Europe, Asia & Middle East, many of which can be found on YouTube

He lectures often in the middle-east, one example: 2012 at the student dormitories of Imam University in Riyadh

He is active online at Facebook , Twitter and his own website, and provides a mobile App containing thousands of his Q&As and contributes at Muslim websites such as http://www.ummah.com

On his website he openly advocates:

• the execution of ex-Muslims (Apostasy in Islam)
• that Muslims should not be too friendly with non-Muslims
• that Christians and Jews living in an Islamic country should be forced to pay a special tax Jizya,

He advocates that in terms of reaching the world with the message of islam, that the best approach is by 'walking the walk'; otherwise warfare is to be used; writing:

"If you look at the largest Muslim country in the world in terms of population; Indonesia, you will find that not a single (Muslim) soldier has set foot there and they accepted Islam, as Muslim traders treated them in an Islamic way"

Regards Homosexuals, that they should be killed, as described in a relevant Hadith verse. (Homosexuals described here as 'doing what the people of Lot in Islam did')

In 2014 in Holland a journalist questioned al-Hakeem on his views on homo-sexuality.

His views on Women's rights include website Q&A's such as whether non-Muslim women may be taken as slaves. or whether female prisoners of war may be raped.

And that women-only mosques where all leadership and teaching is also carried by women, is not permitted.

Regards FGM a talk he gave titled 'Is female circumcision permissible' is available on YouTube

Regards Hamas he has preached 'Truth Exposed - Victory for Hamas', available on YouTube

In 2014 the BBC report that he criticised the taking of 'selfies' photos when on Hhajj in Saudi Arabia

Of the UK his biography page writes that: " the brothers there are very generous and that they keep on calling him to give them lectures and lessons. He says that he really sees Islam there."

In July 2011, at Green lane mosque, he was one of a number of radical speakers at a 'Meetings with the Messenger (SAW)' event.

In March 2012 he was prevented from speaking at University of Hertfordshire on the subject of Marriage in Islam, due to concerns about his Homophobia

In July 2012 the UK gay rights publication PinkNews was concerned about the attendance of al-Hakeem and other homophobic speakers at an event titled 'The Month of Mercy'

Later that month he was also prevented from speaking at an event hosted by the University Islamic Society at Sheffield Hallam University, on this occasion the University said that it was due to the society not following the correct procedure for booking the event.

In June 2013 he preached at East London Mosque, the video is available on their Youtube channel.

In November 2013 al-Hakeem was included in a report 'The Interfaith Industry' produced by Stand for Peace, a UK-based Jewish-Muslim interfaith organisation.

Of the UK his biography page writes that his experience of Da’wah work in India, was "overwhelming and mind-blowing".

It began in December 2007 when he was invited by Dr. Zakir Naik to take part in the PeaceTV "Peace Conference". He spent 10 days there in the company of Islamic scholars, it was 'the experience of his life'.

He met with people like:

• Sheikh Jaafir Idris ("an experience in and of itself") (www.jaafaridris.com
• Abdur Raheem Green
• Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
• Hussein Ye
• Salim al-Amry
• Yasir Fazaga,
• Yusuf Estes

He describes the time warmly: "Just being with these great Scholars and Da’eeah, having lunch and dinner with them, ...was a mind-blowing experience"