The American Islamic College, in a modern building on three acres near Lake Michigan, has closed and reopened several times since it was formed in 1981. The last time it offered classes was in 2001.
But the college is back in session with courses in Islamic history, arts and theology. Administrators said they hope to attract a diverse student body and earn accreditation that would allow the college to grant four-year degrees.
"The whole of America needs an Islamic institution of Islamic thought," said Ali Yurtsever, a former research scholar at Georgetown University, who is overseeing the effort. "If you don't have Islamic colleges, then people are misled, they'll easily be deceived and the clash will continue to grow."
The school is affiliated with the Organization of the Islamic Conference, a coalition of 57 member states that considers itself the collective voice of the Muslim world. Some local leaders worry that the organization will oversee the school from its headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, instead of turning it over to local leaders.
The Organization of the Islamic Conference has "not been a part of the community," said Mohamad Nasir, executive director of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, who is working with Yurtsever to include the council in the oversight of the college.
Scott Alexander, director of the Catholic-Muslim Studies Program at Catholic Theological Union, said that though the college eventually became a hub for interfaith relations, it failed to capture the imagination of Chicago's largely immigrant Muslim community when it was founded nearly 30 years ago. Its style of governance also didn't win support from many American Muslims.
Dr. Zaher Sahloul, president of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, called the college "a sleeping giant."
"Right now it looks like the giant is waking up," he said. "There are signs of life now."
End item/ 129
