Muslims in Oklahoma: Imam Imad Enchassi

Imam Imad Enchassi wants you to know that he isn't that different from you or me. Well, unless he's at the airport, of course.

"I get the special treatment," Enchassi says in jest. "I call it VIP treatment - Very Islamic Person."

Enchassi jokes often, a helpful technique for dealing with the furtive looks and cautious suspicion that many people greet him with. He speaks fluent English with the trace of an accent.  It's not surprising, given that he has lived in the United States since he immigrated here in 1983.

Enchassi is the product of Egyptian, Palestinian, Syrian, and Lebanese roots.  He was born in a refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon, but emigrated when he was 17 to live with his brother and cousin, who had settled in Fort Worth, Texas, some years earlier. It was in Fort Worth that Enchassi began his formal education, when he enrolled at the University of Texas in Arlington.

Enchassi discovered a passion for learning that would take him from UT-Arlington to Texas Wesleyan University (a school in Fort Worth founded by the United Methodist Church) to the University of Phoenix, and eventually to Texas Tech University in Lubbock.  After graduating from Texas Tech, Enchassi attended Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma City.

All told, Enchassi possesses multiple undergraduate and graduate degrees. After recently completing yet another degree - this one in Islamic studies - in Beirut, Enchassi's credentials are impressive.

"I have a double bachelor's - one in human resources and one in Islamic studies,"Enchassi says. "I also have a double master's - one in human resources and one in Islamic studies - and a double PhD - one in leadership and one in Islamic studies."

Enchassi has been the president of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City since its inception. When the board requested that he be their imam, he agreed under one condition: that he be allowed to complete his master's degree in Islamic studies near the source of Islam itself. So it was that Enchassi ended up going home to Beirut for a few months each year, where he reconnected with his family, his heritage and his faith.

"When you learn the Islamic studies in English...it seems to dilute a lot of the meaning, to lose something in translation," Enchassi says. "I went back and I was in for a surprise, because I thought that I spoke the Arabic language rather well, but once you start learning the formal language it is a difficult task."

Enchassi expresses no surprise when asked what an imam is and how to properly address one. In fact, he utters a good-natured laugh before patiently explaining.

"A lot of people, when they see me and I'm wearing the hat - known as a kufi - they freak out a little bit," he admits. "There's no clergy in Islam - Imam literally means 'the person up front' so...I will be the person leading the prayer."

When talking to him, it is impossible not to address the subject of prejudice. Although he admits to being discomfited numerous times at airports, he tells a story that perfectly illustrates the common misunderstandings he encounters on a daily basis.

He says he was at a conference at the University of Oklahoma, when a woman tried to refill his cup with coffee. When he told her it was not necessary she immediately jumped back, clearly afraid she had offended him in some way.  It turns out she had been at a conference with monks the day before and made the mistake of hugging one of them (touching a monk is considered  inappropriate). "I was actually just trying to be a gentleman!," Enchassi laughs.

Doctor, professor, imam - Enchassi has worn many hats. His philosophy is simple; it not only sustains his faith in the world, but his faith in people as well.

"Biblically and Islamically, out of evil always comes good."

Norman Latinos May Sit Out Vote

The New York Times published an article recently alleging what may be a disturbing national trend. According to the article, only 51 percent of registered Latino voters plan to vote in the upcoming Congressional elections. This is a far cry from the 70 percent of other voters who say they will definitely be casting their vote.

These sentiments by Latinos, who are depended on heavily by the Democratics, seem to be echoed by Latinos in Norman as well. The immigration laws recently passed in Phoenix played a large part in dispiriting the Latino community - causing a number of them to become fed up and unwilling to participate in an election that many in the community feel won't help them either way.

JoBeth Suarez, 19, is of Mexican heritage; her parents immigrated here 15 years ago. She says that although she hasn't made up her mind either way, she knows for certain that her parents and her extended family will not be casting votes.

"Latinos, but Mexicans especially, are a dominant political force in this country now; my father told me yesterday that Latinos are the second largest ethnic group in Houston now," Suarez said. "I haven't made up my mind yet, but I know for sure that most of my family feels like no one in power has done anything to help overturn the recent laws in Phoenix - other than talk - and they don't feel like they can back either party."

Nathan Heskia, 21-year-old graduate of Emerson College in Boston, echoed Suarez's sentiments. Heskia is in a very unique position because his father is an Israeli immigrant who speaks fluent Hebrew and his mother, who was raised in Laredo, TX, immigrated from Mexico when she was a child. Heskia says that despite his father encouraging his mother to vote, she has made it clear that she has no plans to do so.

"I don't really know if it's the Phoenix immigration laws that did it, but she definitely saw that as proof that no one at the top cares about what's important to her or her family," Heskia said. "Her mother and father, brother and sisters, they pretty much said they could care less what happens in November."

Only time will tell if this trend becomes a reality, but if Latinos exercise their powerful political influence by not voting, Democrats will be scrambling to fill those voting booths.

Trash Cans Make Surprising Difference at Tailgates

It seems pretty obvious: the bigger the party, the tougher the cleanup, the more trash cans that will be needed. However, this logic has long been absent at the heavily-trafficked tailgating strip on Lindsey St. next to the practice field - until this season that is.

Rick Greer, University of Oklahoma alumni, has held a tailgate at the intersection of Lyndsey and Jenkins for six years now. He says he was constantly complaining to police when they walked by about the lack of garbage cans being made available for tailgaters on Lyndsey. However, this was definitely not one of their duties.

Finally, the University responded by placing over 50 garbage cans along both Lyndsey and Jenkins, which by all accounts has made cleaning up a much easier affair for all involved.

Addison Roberts, zoology senior, has been in charge of his father's tailgate for the last five years and says he too had noticed that before this season it had always been difficult to find a spot for all the trash his tailgate would accumulate.

"I would never really think about it when I was setting up the tailgate, but after the game was over it such a pain to find one of the ten trash cans," Roberts said. "I actual called it the hike because all of the garbage cans were full and sometimes I would have to walk to the dorms just to find an empty one." Roberts said that many people, failing to find an available garbage can, would just drop their trash in the grass after packing up their belongings.

This season though, the trash cans are impossible to miss; they almost form a barrier along tailgate row on Lyndsey. Although they mean a little more work for the already overworked event staff, it surely looks better than having trash strewn about the grass.