Dr. Ahmed Sakr

InFocus: Where were you born and raised?  What was your childhood like?
Ahmed Sakr: I was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon. I was a very shy child, hiding myself from relatives. Mostly, I stayed at home helping mother. Later I began to associate myself daily with Muslim scholars from different parts of the world who came to Lebanon for one reason or another.

IF: When and why did you come to the United States?  Where did you spend your first years?
AS: I came in August 1962 to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to finish my Ph.D. I stayed there until 1966 when I got my Ph.D.

IF: How was MSA National formed?
AS: The MSA of USA and Canada was officially formed at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign on January 1, 1962. [ We first met in Urbana on December 25th, 1961, when some MSA students were visiting us from Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Then we met again on the first day of January 1962 to plan a strategy for the bylaws and how to organize all the students in America. There were about eight people from four different states. In April of the same year, we had our first annual convention in Urbana where 15 people attended. The second convention was in Urbana as well, and 50 people attended. And the third was in Carbondale, Illinois where we had 200 people attend.

IF: Describe the atmosphere for Muslims at that time. What kinds of issues did they face?  Did problems of Islamophobia exist at that time?
AS: At that time, we were known as Muslims first…last…and forever; there was no difference between Arabs and non-Arabs, Shia and Sunni. We integrated and assimilated ourselves like a bouquet of flowers with different colors but a pleasant aroma. People at the time did not know much about Islam. We were invited by non-Muslims to give lectures about Islam. Even the university’s foreign student advisor used to help and guide us, and gave us a plaque of achievement. MSA was the best student group on campus; we used to pray daily on campus and had a series of lectures to non-Muslims on Friday evenings.

IF: What were the major concerns for Muslims during the 1960’s?
AS: Main concerns for Muslims were how to inform Americans about Islam, how to organize ourselves as MSA USA/Canada, how to get involved with the early immigrant Muslims who have been in USA/Canada for 100 years before that time.

IF: What is a typical day like for Dr. Sakr?
AS: [I’m a 24-hour servant to serve Muslims and non-Muslims. My phone number, email, cell are all open and people call after midnight. I have one daughter and three boys, and my daughter used to say ‘I have a part-time father.’ And now she is married and says she has a ‘part-time husband’ because her husband is very active in Muslim American Society (MAS). If I’m not answering questions, counseling marriages,  solving problems, officiating marriages and burials, making dawah, and answering invitations from officials like mayors and sheriff departments who invite us to say invocations, and no one is calling me, I sit and read Qu’ran and write books. Or if I am on the plane traveling now and then, I have some peace of mind and I read Qur’an and start writing chapter after chapter for my books. Most of my writing was done on the plane because no one talks to you so I read the Qur’an and reflect on its words while looking through the window, at the sky. 

IF: How long have you been counseling Muslims in the community? What are some of the recent social challenges facing Muslims?
AS: Counseling started in the fifties while I was in Lebanon. I got involved here in the year 1962 when I came to USA. Counseling is not easy. One has to be fair and not biased or prejudiced. The recent social challenges are handling marriage and divorce; building schools, clinics, hospitals, colleges, universities; mass media (TV, radio, satellites); lawyers, judges, and politics; and helping the Muslim countries.

IF: You have a degree in nutrition. In brief, what is the single-most important thing Muslims should do to be nutritious?
AS: Fast as much as possible. Eat less in general, and eat less meat. Pray more than the five daily salat. This is better than the LA Fitness. It is free, you get more rewards. [The more you fast, the more you know the significance of food. Even if it is halal and zabiha, do not eat too much meat. You can eat fish too, but not too much of it either. The more physical exercise we do, the better; our physical exercise is salat. The more perform your salaah [prayers], the better off your body is, spiritually, physically, mentally, psychologically, scientifically, engineering-wise. You can get rid of sinus problems, migraines, neck pain, bulging stomach, arthritis of the knees and lower back pain all by performing extra prayers.
 
IF: Tell us more about your involvement with Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA).
AS: IFANCA was established at my house in Lombard, Illinois in 1982. The major aim was how to certify Halal foods/meats all over the world. We get involved in national/international conferences with Muslim and non-Muslim countries.

IF: As an author of 62 books on various topics, what is the topic that most interested you to write about? What were the more challenging topics?
AS: The most interesting topics were about Allah, about Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, about the Qur’an, about family values, and about halal foods.

IF: What are your current and future projects? Books/lecture series?
AS: Current and future books: Book of Targheeb, Not Tarheeb; Book of Guidance; Book of Memoirs; Islamic Expressions; They Left This World, We Are To Follow.

IF: As a pioneer of our first organizations in this country, what do you see as the role for our institutions? What is still missing?
AS: Our role is to bring Muslims together as Muslims first…last…and forever. We are not Sunni, Shia or of different schools of thought.

IF: Why is it important for youth to be active in the community? How do you think we can encourage youth to be more active in the community?
AS: The youth of today should be active because they are the future leaders of America and future leaders of the Islamic centers.  And to be active means that they have to benefit from the first generation and then they will lead America and the mosques in the right direction. How? We should open the masjid and make it not only for salat , but physical activities, social transactions, picnics, and getting involved in making dawah in the public school system. But they do need Muslim scholars to advise them with the use of wisdom or ‘hikmah’ of how to do things. When we die the youth will take over, but they should take over before we die.

IF: What is the most pressing issue facing American Muslims?
AS: Mass media is spreading bad information about Islam and Muslims. Political lobbies are controlling the government.

IF: Is there any one contemporary person that inspired you the most?
AS: So many have inspired me. Every one of you young and old is a source of inspiration to me all the time.  Muhammad, peace be upon him, who is the source of inspiration and his Sahabah and our religious leaders in the old country inspired me so much on a daily basis. I used to go to the American University high school at 3 o’clock. I used to go to the Muslim scholars until 8 or 9 p.m. everyday and every weekend. They used to take us to the masjid every night for a spiritual night and we would stay in the masjid on the floor, we would clean toilets, they would request us to be teachers to Sunday school kids and inspire us and select us to give khutbahs, which is not easy in the Arab world.  Each of my books has about twenty names in the acknowledgements of people who have inspired me. Two names are the Grand Mufti of Lebanon, the late Shaikh Hassen Khaled, and also Shaikh Muhammad Omar Daouk.

IF: What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career?
AS: That I am a servant to you all. It is my happiness to be a servant to you all.

Sabiha Khan contributed to this article.