Muslim Accommodations Task Force says "learning to
live with 'different kinds of people' on college campuses actually causes more harm than
good for Muslims. The task force's eventual objectives on American
campuses include the following, according to the website: permanent
Muslim prayer spaces, ritual washing facilities, separate food and housing for Muslim
students, separate hours at athletic facilities for Muslim women, paid imams or religious
counselors, and campus observance of Muslim holidays. The task force is
already hailing "pioneering" successes.
Ritual-washing area for Muslims at
Minneapolis Community College may be only the beginning
By Katherine Kersten, Star Tribune
On 4-10-07, I wrote about Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC), which is
planning to install facilities to help Muslim students perform ritual washing before daily
prayers. It's a simple matter of extending "hospitality" to newcomers, says
President Phil Davis - no different than providing a fish option in the college cafeteria
for Christian students during Lent.
MCTC is apparently the first public institution in Minnesota to enter this unfamiliar
territory. Where is it looking for guidance?
Dianna Cusick, MCTC's director of legal affairs, is overseeing the project. She referred
me to the Muslim Accommodations Task Force, whose website she is using as a primary
resource (www.startribune.com). "They've done all the research," she said.
On the site, I found information about the handful of public colleges that have
"wudu," or ritual bathing, facilities.
But I also discovered something more important for colleges seeking guidance on
"accommodations": Projects like MCTC's are likely to be the first step in a long
process.
The task force's eventual objectives on American campuses include the following,
according to the website: permanent Muslim prayer spaces, ritual washing
facilities, separate food and housing for Muslim students, separate hours at athletic
facilities for Muslim women, paid imams or religious counselors, and campus observance of
Muslim holidays.
The task force is already hailing "pioneering" successes. At Syracuse
University in New York, for example, "Eid al Fitr is now an official university
holiday," says an article featured on the website. "The entire university campus
shuts down to mark the end of Ramadan." At Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn
At Georgetown University, Muslim women can live apart in housing that enables them to
"sleep in an Islamic setting," as the website puts it. According to a student at
the time the policy was adopted, the university housing office initially opposed the idea,
on grounds that all freshman should have the experience of "living in dorms and
dealing with different kinds of people." That might sound appealing, Muslim students
told a reporter in an article featured on the website. But in their view, the reporter
wrote, "learning to live with 'different kinds of people' " actually
"causes more harm than good" for Muslims, because it requires them to
live in an environment that "distracts them from their desire to become better
Muslims, and even draws weaker Muslims away from Islam."
The task force isn't operated by overly enthusiastic college students. Its professional
staff, based in the Washington, D.C., area, includes coordinators who provide legal
advice, teach students to lobby, write letters on their behalf, and help them overcome
"obstacles" such as college administrators' concerns about violating the
separation of church and state.
The Muslim Accommodations Task Force is a project of the Muslim Student Association of the
U.S. and Canada. MSA's mission is to enable Muslims here "to practice Islam
as a complete way of life," and its "main goal" is "spreading
Islam," according to its website. The association calls itself the "landmark
Muslim organization in North America," and says it has chapters on 600 campuses.
On MSA's website (www.msa-national.org), the sort of inclusive language used by the Muslim
Accommodations Task Force gives way to hard-hitting advice for insiders. One downloadable
publication --"Your Chapter's Guide to Campus Activism" -- describes how
activists can advance political positions such as "restoring justice within the
Palestinian territories," and opposition to the Patriot Act and the wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq. The cover features a student with a megaphone, and the
slogan "Speak Out! Stand Up! Say It Loud!"
MSA views itself as America's moral and political vanguard. "As Muslims, we
are a nation elected by God to lead humanity," the guide announces. On
campus, that means initiating "mass mobilization" through "direct action
campaigns" à la the 1960s, when students were "itching to fight" for
change.
The guide explains how Muslim student groups can obtain funding, identify coalition
partners and "bodies of power" on campus, work within student government, and
use the media. "Marches, rallies and protests on campus" can "generate
massive amounts of exposure for your MSA and its cause," it advises.
In all these endeavors, however, establishing credibility is vital to success, the guide
emphasizes. Activists must "take full advantage of the open-minded environment"
on campus, and skillfully employ the language of patriotism and rights. "Mobilization
commences the moment you speak in a language that resonates with your audience," the
guide adds.
Thus, activists should take care to position themselves as mainstream Americans.
"Make use of terminology like 'our country,' 'our security,' and 'we, the American
people,' " the guide suggests. "Unless you identify with the people,
you will never gain the legitimacy to criticize state policies," though
"identifying yourself as an American" will not necessarily preclude criticism.
Activists should also frame their objectives in language that Americans embrace.
"Most Americans identify with concepts such as 'justice,' 'self-determination,'
'human rights' and 'democracy,' " the guide explains. "These terms will be
constructive when delivering your message, regardless of the issue."
For example, if you want to bring a speaker to campus to discuss the importance of hijab
(Muslim women's headwear or covering), you will be "more effective" if you
broaden the topic to "women's rights." Is this where MCTC is headed? Or is
nothing more dramatic going on there than fish on Friday?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Everyday, American Congress for Truth (ACT) is a 501c3 non profit organization on the
front lines fighting for you in meeting with politicians, decision makers, speaking on
college campuses and planning events to educate and inform the public about the threat of
radical Muslim fundamentalists to world peace. We are committed to combating the global
upsurge of hate and intolerance. To continue and bolster our efforts, we need your
continued solidarity, activism and financial support. We are only as strong as our
supporters. We thank you for helping us carry on this important work.
American Congress for Truth (ACT) , P.O.Box 6884, Virginia Beach, VA 23456
http://www.americancongressfortruth.org
To Warriors For Truth
Conservative Independent News Main Page
Travel Discounts Airlines Hotels Real
Estate 007 Online Here
|
