Dr. Salahuddin Malik Islam in America papers

Dr. Salahuddin Malik has been a pillar in the Muslim community in Rochester since the early 1970s. He and his wife, Dr. Sarwat Malik, arrived in Rochester from Philadelphia in 1967 and a few years later founded the Islamic Center of Rochester in 1975 along with several other Muslim families in order to build a more formal Muslim presence in the area, and to provide support and leadership for the growing Muslim community. Dr. Malik led the center as its first president, and served intermittently in various terms for eleven years, including during the construction of the Center's permanent location on Westfall Road in Brighton, NY. After the formation of the Board of Directors, Dr. Malik served as the chair for another intermittent twelve years, off and on. He has served in various leadership and advisory roles since 1975. Beyond creating support groups for parents, a faith school for young children, and an array of charitable efforts to support refugees and Muslim immigrants in the US, the Center has also participated in a number of interfaith relationships and dialogues with other churches, temples, schools, universities, conferences in Rochester and nationally from its earliest days.

A professor of history focusing in South Asian history and British imperialism at the College at Brockport, Dr. Malik was a prolific and active leader in a number of Islamic, interfaith, and Pakistani-American-interest organizations on both a local and national scale. His leadership roles have included serving as the President of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists, where he was the leader of the History focus group, the Vice President of the Pakistani-American Congress, advisory and board member of the Islamic Center of Rochester and other groups, and a speaker of note at a large number of conferences on Pakistan-US and Muslim relations and issues. His focus on improving the lives of Muslims in America and the workings of the community were paired with a passionate drive for political advocacy to improve the lives of Muslims in America as well as in communities across the globe.

There are an endowed fund and two associated lecture series named after Drs. Salahuddin and Sarwat Malik at the College at Brockport. The Maliks created the series to further understanding of the Muslim world, interfaith efforts between Muslims and those of other faiths, and of women in Muslim communities around the world.