Religious Discrimination on Campus
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In the Name of Allaah, the most Merciful, the One Who bestows Mercy
Religious Discrimination on Campus
All praise is due to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. We praise Him, we seek His aid and we seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evils of our souls and from the evils of our actions. Indeed, whosoever Allaah guides, there is none who can misguide him. And whosoever Allaah leaves to go astray, there is none who can guide him. We bear witness, that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah alone, having no partners. And we bear witness that Muhammad - blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him - is the slave and the seal of the Prophets and Messengers.
To proceed:
For decades, the Islamic Society of City University, a branch of the Student Union representing the Muslim students, has been the forerunner in catering for the needs of students, achieving success through determination. The thorns placed in its path against exercising the religious rights of the Muslims are ever increasing, and were never non-existent. This is not something unheard of or something uncommon. Every Muslim calling to the Straight Path faces it. The stronger the faith, the more thorns obstruct the path.
“Islamophobic Attacks: The Aftermath”; an event which had been advertised for a week upon approval of the University officials, explicitly stated from the beginning and made clear the implementation of religious segregation between the sexes. It drew no outcry from the University during this entire 7-day period. However, only five hours before the event was due to start, the university officials forcefully changed the venue, informing the Islamic Society via email that the two rooms that had been approved to maintain religious segregation cannot be used and the event would have to take place in a separate lecture hall, where there is no religious segregation available.
The motive of the one behind this forceful ban of religious segregation is clear even to the layman. If there was such an issue with religious segregation, the University could have raised it earlier in the week and the Islamic Society would have sought alternative venues to carry out the much-needed event. Clearly, the University did not want the event to go ahead in the first place, lest its faults and failure in protecting the Muslims students from being attacked be exposed, although this was not the subject-matter of the event. Rather one of the points to be mentioned in the event was for the Muslim students to cooperate with the University. The Islamic Society had cooperated with the University and was lenient with it after the attacks, even though the Society believed it was from their rights to launch a complaint against the University, but instead reluctantly obliged to the pleas of the University in the hope for increased security and a safer and sanitary prayer room. However, the Muslims have ended up feeling that they have been stabbed in the back and now face religious discrimination and the inability to practice their religious rights on the CIty University campus.
The Muslims have pride in their religion and will never do anything that compromises their faith. Thereby to guard their modesty and protect the honour of their sisters, the Muslims of City University were forced to cancel the event. The majority of the attendees of the Islamic Society’s events are Muslims and they require that such events cater to the religious needs of Muslims. Many who had come to attend the event, knowing that it provides segregation were thus let down due to the University’s forceful decision.
The Islamic Society of City University is the most active of all societies and hosts many events specifically for its members, but allows in people other than them to benefit from the events. This is a well-known fact. Throughout the years, when religious segregation was maintained, there were no problems; even during the Annual Dinner of 2009, when the University itself attempted to provide segregation for the event (that was open to all externals), (of course) without any success and the University ended up lining up a few notice boards next to each other (thereby splitting the room in half) and considered it to be a quality service in return for a hefty charge. As a result of this and other broken promises, plus many complaints from the attendees against the University and its treatment of its guests, the Islamic Society has decided to host its Annual Dinner of 2010 away from the City University, to avoid a repeat of the previous year’s disaster. May Allaah make it a success. Aameen.
We hope that this clears up the reason as to why the Islamophobic Attacks event was cancelled. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and would like to remind the University about the statement of Allaah, the Exalted, when He said:
“They want to extinguish the light of Allaah with their mouths, but Allaah refuses except to perfect His light, although the disbelievers hate it.”
[Surah At-Tawbah 9:32]
There still remains the matter of discussing the matters brought forth by a student paper regarding Islamic beliefs. This event is due to take place, possibly in the next semester, at a venue tolerant of Muslim beliefs and we encourage those who were eager for today’s event to have patience, and we will keep everyone updated on the future plans inshaa’Allaah (if Allaah wills).
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“GET LOST. I AM NOT COMPROMISING MY DEEN FOR WHAT YOU PERCIEVE, IT’S YOUR PERCEPTION. IF YOU PERCIEVE YOU CAN’T INTERGRATE AND THIS IS A BARRIER IN INTERGRATION, COEXISTENCE OR INTERACTION THEN THAT’S YOUR PROBLEM, NOT MINE, BECAUSE I DON’T SEE IT AS A BARRIER.”
As-salaamu Alaikum,
Just wanted to add my two rupees worth to this post. We must remember whatever is bestowed upon us is a trial from Allah Subhanahu wa ta’Aala, and as the hadith has it:
“If the whole of mankind gathered to do some thing to help us, they could not help in anything which Allah had not already written for us. And if the whole of mankind gathered together to harm us, then they would not be able to harm with anything which Allah had not already written for us.”(At-Tirmidhi)
From this hadith we must learn some very important lessons, for one when these Kaffir plot attacks at us to directly or maybe indirectly steer us away from the straight path we must have trust in Allah, as is written in the Qur’aan:
“If Allah helps you, none can overcome you: If He forsakes you, who is there after that, that can help you? In Allah then, let the Believers put their trust.” [ 3: 160]
We must realize that Allah is trying to test our imaan, when holding the event the easy option may well have been to succumb to university pressure by holding the event in one lecture hall and letting there be mixing, could you just imagine the fitna that MAY have caused, a’odhubillah. By rejecting to hold the event in one room, the brothers from the ISOC have done us a favour, they like us are humans, and have in a way protected us from unnecessary fitna which may have weakened our imaan had we let our desires overcome us, of course we should try to distance ourselves from these desires in the first place.
The shaitan works in a cunning way, he will not present the major sin in one go, he will come to us, each time sharpening his arrow, before finally stabbing us, by which time it will have been too late and the sin will have been committed. We must seek refuge in Allah, and pray that we are protected from the shaitan. Allah has stated that mankind was created to sin and the best amongst us is the one who sins and then repents.
In regards to the post about ‘wallhuggers’, I find that ridiculous. As muslims we should stick to the sunnah as closely as possible, if that means going against kafir values then so be it, we should not be victims of their backward ‘liberal’ ideologies. These so called ‘wallhuggers’ are following an example, indeed that of the best of all examples, the prophet (SAW), and we must learn and implement this example as this is the only way we are going to achieve in this life and the hereafter.
I myself am far from perfect, indeed we sin, but me must realise that by freemixing we are causing a fitna for ourself and falling into the traps of the shaitaan. We must distance ourself from this, be it at any cost. We should not compromise our deen, we should strive to implement the deen to the best of our abilities, and using our intellect that Allah subahanhu wa ta’Ala has blessed us with we must realise the boundries between right and wrong, and the plots coming from certain factions within the university, and not accusse fellow muslims of hypocricy and instead we should do dua for our muslim brothers and sisters.
Allah knows what is in our hearts, so may he guide us all and increase our imaan. I may not have said everything in the most clearest of wording but insha’Allah you will understand what I am trying to say.
May Allah forgive me if I have made any mistakes, and may Allah forgive all of the believers and purify our intentions, and may he guide all those kaffir onto the straight path
Ameen