From Pop Stardom to Social Justice: Imam Taymullah's Quest for Change
Welcome to this episode of Rise Urban Nation hosted by Taryell Simmons, featuring special guest Taymullah Abdur-Rahman. In this moving and insightful conversation, Taymullah chronicles his journey from teen pop star to prison chaplain, author, and social justice advocate. Together, they explore the complexities of Black Muslim identity in America, the necessity of authentic mentorship, and the urgent need to transform our criminal justice system.
Taymullah recalls his early musical success with the group Perfect Gentlemen and the struggle to rebuild his identity after fame faded.
Host and guest unpack the racial disparities in ADHD diagnoses, noting how white youth receive clinical support while Black youth are funneled into behavioral discipline.
The story of Mustafa illustrates the intra-faith discrimination and lack of protection Black Muslims often face within immigrant-dominated religious institutions.
Taymullah reflects on how working alongside Catholic and Protestant chaplains in a maximum-security prison reshaped his theological worldview into practical empathy.
A powerful case is made against life without parole, arguing that incarcerating reformed men harms families and perpetuates cycles of community violence.
Mentorship and Guidance: Exploring how the absence of positive male role models leaves young men vulnerable to destructive street cycles.
Intra-Faith Dynamics: Distinguishing between surface-level diversity and genuine equity for Black American Muslims within broader faith spaces.
Imaginative Empathy: Learning to practice interfaith and cross-cultural dialogue by listening deeply without invalidating another person lived truth.
Restorative Justice: Shifting the penal philosophy from retributive punishment toward healing, family preservation, and community restoration.
Economic Self-Determination: Creating sustainable entrepreneurial pathways through social enterprises to support youth and formerly incarcerated individuals.
Prioritize authentic connection and belonging before attempting to challenge or change someone intellectual beliefs.
Recognize that genuine equity requires giving marginalized members real decision-making power rather than symbolic representation.
Advocate for restorative justice policies that return reformed individuals to their families as positive community anchors.
Foster interfaith solidarity through humility, shared human experiences, and intentional one-on-one relationships.
Taymullah Abdur-Rahman is an author, educator, social entrepreneur, and former chaplain who spent a decade serving in maximum-security prisons and at Harvard University. He is the founder of Spentem, an organization dedicated to empowering returning citizens and at-risk youth through entrepreneurship and alternative education. Learn more about his initiatives at https://spentem.com and follow him on Instagram @ImamTamullah.
Taryell: Welcome ladies and gentlemen to another episode of Rise Urban Nation. I have been waiting for this one. We have my boy Tay. Let me get the full name.
Taymullah Abdur-Rahman: Good. Now that is perfect. Sayyidina Abdullah Abdul Rahman.
Taryell: I am going to practice it so next time I will be flowing with it. Shout out to Jimmy Dwyer and Daylin Publicity for connecting us. Welcome to Rise Urban Nation, sir.
Taymullah Abdur-Rahman: It is a pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me, my brother.
Taryell: For the people who may not know you, who is Tay? How would you define yourself to folks?
Taymullah Abdur-Rahman: I started as Tyrone Sutton. I was part of a group called Perfect Gentlemen. We came out in 1989 with a song called Ooh La La, a top ten song that did pretty well. We toured the world and did a lot of great things. That lasted for about three years. By the time I was sixteen and a half, I was back in the neighborhood trying to find my identity, struggling right where I started with nothing. I got caught up in street life, became a teen father, and stumbled until I found Islam in 1999. That changed the trajectory of my life. I went to Saudi Arabia, studied briefly, came back, and became a prison chaplain. The rest is history.
Taryell: That is a beautiful story. Connecting the dots from pop star to prison chaplain and social justice advocate makes so much sense now.
Taymullah Abdur-Rahman: When you do not have a Black male mentor or a father, you spend half your life trying to pick up the pieces from mistakes. Without someone directing you, you sample different identities until you hopefully land on your feet.
Taryell: I love that you speak on mentorship. Growing up, being labeled with ADHD led teachers to claim I could not learn and had behavioral issues, which pushes Black boys toward the prison pipeline.
Taymullah Abdur-Rahman: Studies show when a white child has ADHD, it is treated clinically as a brain difference. When a Black child has it, it gets labeled behavioral and disruptive. That stigma makes young people feel born to lose.
Taryell: As a Black Muslim American, how have historical and contemporary events shaped your views on social justice?
Taymullah Abdur-Rahman: When we walk into rooms, our identities can be disruptive. Sometimes my Black identity pushes forward, and sometimes my Muslim identity pushes forward. In immigrant-based mosques, Black Muslims often have to prove their knowledge of the faith. A friend named Mustafa was shot outside a mosque during Juma in an apparent hate crime, yet some immigrant congregants dismissed it to police as gang-related because of his past record from twenty years prior. We face marginalization even within our own faith communities.
Taryell: What creates that divide?
Taymullah Abdur-Rahman: Historically, immigrant institutions have pushed Black American Muslims forward during crises like 9/11 because of our civil rights background, confusing diversity with equity. Diversity means being present in the room; equity means having your voice heard and valued. We need real solidarity across marginalized identities.
Taryell: How does interfaith dialogue intertwine with your work in prison abolition?
Taymullah Abdur-Rahman: I worked in a maximum security prison for ten years. I entered as a theologian filled with dogma, but left as a practitioner. My office sat between a Catholic chaplain and a Protestant chaplain. Their care and professionalism broke down my guards. It taught me that listening is not diminishing. Eboo Patel speaks of imaginative empathy—putting yourself in another person shoes and respecting their lived experiences.
Taryell: What inspired you to write your book, American Imam?
Taymullah Abdur-Rahman: Around 2015, I was working as an Imam at Harvard University, attending a Christian seminary, and teaching the Holocaust full-time. I realized God gave me an outlet to share how relationships with deacons and rabbis transformed my life.
Taryell: What are the biggest misconceptions about the Black Muslim American experience?
Taymullah Abdur-Rahman: A huge misconception is that becoming Muslim means disowning American identity. In truth, Black American Muslims deeply appreciate the constitutional rights that protect our religious freedom, even while critiquing injustice.
Taryell: How can individuals get involved in the fight for criminal justice reform?
Taymullah Abdur-Rahman: I founded an organization called Spentem. We train returning citizens in entrepreneurship and accountability so they can mentor at-risk youth. We operate a teaching store in the mall that we are converting into an accredited high school. In criminal justice, we must stop dividing communities strictly into victims and perpetrators. Life without parole punishes entire families for decades. When reformed individuals return home as leaders, violence in our communities drops immediately.
Taryell: You also emphasized that prison itself is meant to be the punishment, not the continued dehumanization of individuals and families.
Taymullah Abdur-Rahman: Exactly. Dehumanizing conditions and punitive fees to the state miss the point; restitution should go directly to victims, and human dignity must be preserved.
Taryell: How do you bridge conversations with people who have deeply rooted, differing beliefs?
Taymullah Abdur-Rahman: Traditional theology emphasizes believe, behave, and belong. I believe the true order is belong, behave, and then believe. You must express love, accommodate people where they are, and beautify your own actions before expecting minds to change.
Taryell: Tell us about your entrepreneurial initiatives and where listeners can find your book.
Taymullah Abdur-Rahman: We created products like sparkling honey water to maintain financial independence and teach youth self-determination through business. My book, American Imam: From Pop Stardom to Prison Abolition, is published by Broadleaf Books and available on Amazon. You can connect with me at https://spentem.com or on Instagram @ImamTamullah.
Taryell: Thank you for joining us and sharing your wisdom. We appreciate everything you are doing for the community.
Taymullah Abdur-Rahman: Thank you for creating this platform, my brother. God bless you.
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