By MASUDUR RAHMAN

Campus Editor

Achmat Salie, director of Oakland University’s Islamic Studies program, recently organized an international interfaith conference on campus, called “Religion: Peace and Conflict.” Before coming to OU, he was an imam in the Rochester Hills Mosque Islamic Association of Greater Detroit. Now, he not only teaches classes at OU, but also raises funds for OU.

1. What classes do you teach?

I teach REL 101 Introduction to Islam and some REL 300 ST classes such as Muslims in America, Islamic Ethics, Introduction to Islamic History and one-on-one classes (REL 399 and REL 490).

2. Who in your field inspires you to teach?

Perhaps “What inspired you to teach” would be a better question. The distortion in the media and society about the Islamic faith tradition and Muslim cultures, as well as the insistence that aggressive realities are the ideals of Islam inspire me to teach. The first Quranic revelation was a command to read, research, and join a scholarly community. The second command, too, instructs Muslims to read (with its corollary to write). The largest chapter opens with a reference to a book. Education is a powerful antidote to ignorance. We do not have a clash of civilizations, only a cash of suicidal ignorance. The first revelation mentions the blastocyst (in anticipation of stem cell research?).

3. What is on your reading list?

I love books on spirituality, religion, history, and if I have time–historical fiction. At times, I read several books at once. Four recent books are: “Radical Reform” by Tariq Ramadan, “Why Religion Matters: The fate of the human spirit in an age of disbelief” by Huston Smith, “Islam for Jews” by Reuben Firestone, and “Creating a World that Works for All” by Sharif Abdullah.

4. Could you describe what you do at OU in one sentence?

I approach potential donors for donations and endowments for the Islamic Studies program; I also serve on several committees to promote religion and the university.

5. What is your favorite OU sport to watch live?

Unfortunately, I have little interest in sports, but I love martial arts, table tennis, chess and soccer. I watched a few basketball games at the Palace. I hope we could organize friendly games for nonathletic persons.

6. It’s lunchtime and you’re hungry. Have you packed your own lunch, are you going to the OC or are you ordering out?

I schedule many of my meetings with donors at Rangoli, Palm Palace or the Café O’ Bears. I also love the spinach pies at the Foodcourt.

7. How is your office looking? In other words, if I were a student that had an appointment, would I be able to see around the piles of papers?

My office is fairly clean and organized. I wish my office could have an ultramodern look with plenty of natural light streaming in. Friends with offices in O’Dowd on the fifth floor have many large windows and great views. Hopefully Varner Hall will one day enjoy that luxury of being in a green building. I spend more time in the faculty lab and OC than in an office without windows.

8. When is bedtime?

I spent six years in a hostel studying Islamic jurisprudence. We had a 1-2 hour siesta every day and studied till 1a.m. or later. I still have that habit. When I visited Spain, I was struck by the siesta culture; I felt less guilty about my biological clock. I also wake up every morning at 5 a.m. for prayers.

9. Where is the most interesting place your studies have taken you?

I have been to Hawaii and the Cayman Islands, Spain, Oman, Saudi and Turkey. I am looking forward to my trip to Oxford in England this July and Melbourne, Australia in December where I will participate in panel discussions.

10. What do you hope students know before they take your class(es)?

I would love students to be versatile. Graduate students and even faculty who take my classes bring richness to the discussions in class.

11. Anything else you would like to share?

We must cultivate a culture of cooperation and believe in the power of peace. I would not like Arabic or Islamic Studies to become a Cinderella subject. Through the first international conference on peace and religion and future debates on religion, I hope to give religion a place of equality at the academic table. Oakland University has enormous talent that is hidden. We should benchmark the Ivy League schools. In the economic climate we are challenged to be creative and bold. Education, religion, and health can still flourish during a recession.

In the Islamic tradition, the day starts after sunset (in darkness). Every sunset has the promise of dawn and daylight. The Islamic Studies program and religion at a public university is only in its sunset phase, their dawn is beckoning!