Salim Muwakkil

Salim Muwakkil (born Alonzo James Cannady, January 20, 1947) is an American journalist and political commentator, based in Chicago. He is a senior editor at In These Times magazine and an op-ed columnist for the Chicago Tribune. Muwakkil writes on African-American issues, Middle East politics, and US foreign policy. He is a Crime and Communities Media Fellow of the Open Society Institute, and teaches a seminar on race, media, and politics for the Urban Studies Program of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest. Muwakkil, born in New York City, attended Rutgers University in New Jersey; he graduated with a BA in Political Science in 1973. Background and career After graduating from Linden High School, Muwakkil joined the U.S. Air Force in 1964. After serving five-years as an administration specialist in Germany, he returned in 1969 and enrolled at Rutgers University, graduating in 1973. He joined the Black Panther Party directly after his discharge.