"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."
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