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Sheikh Mateen Charbonneau is of French-Canadian descent. He was born in the United States to a Christian family, and later chose to convert to Shi’a Islam in 1999 at the age of 17, having studied both faiths. He started studying Islamic Seminary classes (Howza) in March 2013 at Imam Ali Center in Springfield, Virginia and studied abroad in Najaf al-Ashraf and Karbala and received his ‘amama (turban) from the esteemed marja’ Ayatollah Sayed Muhammad Taqi al-Modaressi in 2018. He earned a certificate from Harvard University in Islamic Studies, has filmed many documentaries about his journey to Islam, authored several books, taught in the Islamic Seminary (Howza), and is the founder of the nonprofit organization 2nd Chance Books (2014). He has lectured throughout the United States and various other countries spreading the message of Ahl ul Bayt (as). Since 2022 he has been residing in Antalya, Türkiye where he is the resident scholar of the local community and continuing his work with 2nd Chance Books. View all posts by Sheikh Mateen Charbonneau