Think not of those who are slain in God’s way as Dead. Nay, theylive, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord;Holy Qur’an III:169
The Muslim World and the academic community in the United Stateswere shocked on the nineteenth day of Ramadan (Tuesday, May 27, 1986)when news reached them that Professor Ismail al Faruqi and his belovedwife, Lamya’, were assassinated by an intruder who broke into their homein Wyncote. Pennsylvania. This couple, whose dedication to the Islamicmessage is widely known among scholars and others working in the Muslimcommunity, played an important role in the dissemination of correctknowledge about Islam in the United States.A Palestinian by origin, Professor al Faruqi was born on January 21,1921.He attended elementary and secondary school in his native land of Palestineduring the British Mandate. After obtaining a first degree in Philosophyat the American University in Beirut, he served as the last Palestinian governorof Galilee during 1945-1948. After the creation of Israel, he migratedto the United States where he did graduate studies at Harvard and atIndiana University. His intellectual development later led him to al-Azharand McGill University.During his early years in the United States, Professor al Faruqi engagedin research on the Arab experience. One of his first books dealt with this.In the 1960s when the Muslim student population began to swell significantlyand a Muslim Student Association was formed by some dedicated youngMuslims who wanted to retain their cultural identity in the face of strongWestern cultural influences, Professor a1 Faruqi became one of thecounsellors to these young men and women searching for roots and tryingnot to be seduced from the sirat ul-Mustuqim (the path of righteousness).This involvement with the MSA was destined to be a lifelong engagement.During this period he addressed many MSA gatherings and attended manyseminars organized by the student leadership.As the number of Muslim professionals increased, Professor al-Faruqiand others began to think about Muslim professional organizations. Oneof these groups that received the attention of al Faruqi was the Associationof Muslim Social Scientists, which was founded in 1972. The founderselected al Faruqi as the first president. This organization soon emerged asthe primary intellectual vehicle in the social sciences for those Muslim scholarsand graduate students working in the American universities and colleges whowere committed to developing contemporary intellectual thought within theparadigm of Islam.By the late 1970s, Professor al-Faruqi, who had by this time earned aninternational reputation among young Muslims around the world, beganto work with the MSA and AMSS intellectual leaders on the idea of settingup an Islamic college or university. Thinking along this line led to two importantdevelopments in his life. The first was the founding of the AmericanIslamic College in Chicago which he headed but resigned from just before ...
Charles Boxer and the Race Equivoque 1
