Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
send an email to a good reporter :) |
---|
se7en |
01/03/02 at 05:48:18 |
from br Altaf Hussain, president of MSA National: ===== Assalamu alaykum I invite you to send a brief one line thank you to Elizabeth Bell of the San Francisco Chronicle for helping cast Muslim students in a positive light. From my conversations with her, it became obvious that she was someone who wanted to let us tell our story. She saw the initial AP story (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13019-2001Dec21.html) as something negative and damaging to the Muslim student community. But she did not just complain, she made sure that her editor did not run that story in the San Francisco Chronicle. She then began her own search for the truth about Muslim students. Read the article for yourself. I believe her article was timely and really something quite helpful for many people who were left confused and somewhat suspicious of what MSA chapters are really about. Take a minute today to send a brief thank you to Elizabeth Bell. E-mail Elizabeth Bell at ebell@sfchronicle.com Wassalamu alaykum altaf WAR ON TERRORISM On the College Front Muslim student organizations say they're misunderstood Some groups fear being persecuted for raising funds Elizabeth Bell, Chronicle Staff Writer Sunday, December 30, 2001 ©2001 San Francisco Chronicle http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/12/30/MN129435.DTL One of the first things Samrana Ihsan did when she got to college was track down the Muslim Students Association, so she could join her fellow students in prayer, friendship and outreach to dispel misconceptions about her religion. As vice president of the Muslim student group at the University of California at Davis, she's helped raise money for Afghan refugees, organized lectures on Muslim culture, and invited members of local churches to join Muslim students in breaking the Ramadan fast. Muslim Student Associations, called MSAs, exist on college campuses across the country, but in recent weeks students like Ihsan feel they've come under suspicion. Media reports and some government officials have speculated that some campus groups might be wittingly or unwittingly funneling money to terrorists. "Many of us are really starting to feel there's this witch hunt starting. It's all right to be Muslim, but to be Muslim and active, you're going to get in trouble," said Muhammed Esam, an officer with the Islamic Society of Stanford University. Larry Johnson, a former deputy director in the State Department's Office of Counter Terrorism, was quoted recently as saying student groups should be monitored for ties to terrorist groups. George Vinson, anti-terrorism adviser to Gov. Gray Davis and a former FBI agent, said FBI officials are probably investigating whether student groups have raised money for foundations thought to support terrorists. "It's a common sense, logical place for an investigation to move, but you have to have information and evidence. You can't just willy-nilly go into every Muslim student organization," Vinson said. Agent Frank Scafidi, spokesman with the Sacramento division of the FBI, said he can't say whether the bureau is investigating specific student groups. He said the FBI would investigate a student group only if it had some evidence to arouse suspicion. And Muslim student groups contacted by The Chronicle said they have not been contacted by the FBI. Students, however, say speculation that they are actively working to support terrorists is absurd. They worry it's hurting the image of groups that are more focused on the social and spiritual needs of members than with fund- raising or politics. The national Muslim Student Association, the umbrella group for campus chapters, has begun receiving hate mail based on reports alleging that it is openly raising money for groups suspected of supporting terrorists. The group says that is false, and students feel their side of the story isn't getting out. "People just don't know about the good work Muslim students do on campus," said Ghaith Mahmood, a student at the University of California in Los Angeles and vice president of MSA West, which includes all California chapters. Eight years ago, UCLA's chapter organized a free health clinic in South Central Los Angeles that has served about 5,000 poor people of all religions. Muslim students volunteer at the clinic and tutor students in local schools, said Mahmood. But recent media attention has focused on the fact that the chapter had run ads in their publication soliciting donations for Muslim foundations whose assets were frozen by the government for allegedly supporting terrorists. Mahmood points out that the foundations had existed for many years and won the trust of many Muslims for supporting hospitals, orphans, widows and schools in poor Islamic nations. The foundations had paid for a year's ads up front, and the student newspaper was honoring the contract, Mahmood said. "We've been placing ads for them for years. It's like Time magazine putting an ad for the Red Cross and all of a sudden someone says the Red Cross is a terrorist organization," said Mahmood. Anti-terrorism adviser Vinson said students may have unwittingly given money to charities that funnel money to terrorists. Muslim students at California campuses said they haven't much time to raise funds for anyone at all. Students at the University of California at Berkeley said they raised money a couple of years ago for earthquake victims in Turkey, but since then they've been busy with other work. "We're there to make the campus safe for Muslims to practice their faith and just to feel comfortable," said chapter president Basim El Karra. The chapter held a lecture series on topics like women in Islam. One day they handed out 500 hijabs -- the veils worn by many Muslim women -- and non- Muslim students wore them to show their solidarity with their Muslim peers. At UC Davis, students raised money for Afghan refugees this year, funneling the proceeds through the U.N.-registered organization Islamic Relief. But otherwise, the group hasn't done fund-raisers in recent years. "I think the point of MSA is to just educate people about the basics of Islam and clear up the misperceptions," said Ihsan, the UC Davis student. This semester, Stanford's club sponsored a Ramadan dinner for the whole community, a widely attended open forum to discuss Islam and talks in dorms to increase understanding of their beliefs. National chapter president Altaf Husain said students' fund-raising efforts are meant only to help the poor. "We're the second generation, we have been raised here, you can sense our balance of priorities," said Husain. "We look to the social welfare of our neighbors, Muslims and non-Muslims, but we never forget there are just as many Muslims around the world who are in need of our assistance." E-mail Elizabeth Bell at ebell@sfchronicle.com. ©2001 San Francisco Chronicle Page A - 6 |
Re: send an email to a good reporter :) |
---|
AyeshaZ |
01/03/02 at 21:47:07 |
Asalamu Alykum Wa RahmatuAllah, JazakumAllahu Khair se7en!!! nice article definitely will share with my Msa family :)... InshaAllah i'll e-mail Elizbeth Bell.. WaSalamz |
Re: send an email to a good reporter :) |
---|
alzinjibar |
01/04/02 at 09:34:20 |
Bismillah Wa salatu wa salam ala'a Rasul Karim, As salam alaykum, sister Se7en Mash'Allah, you are a precious treasure time and again, mmm i wonder if a box of Belgian Chocolate , or a Bouquet to thank you will be ok, for we can only make dua for you to The Mercifull. |
Re: send an email to a good reporter :) |
---|
se7en |
01/05/02 at 01:53:25 |
wa alaykum as salaam wa rahmatAllah, wow.. if I knew that I'd be offered chocolate for posting, I'd have posted *a lot* more often :) Jazak Allahu khayran for your kind offer ya akhi. I'd love for you to make dua for me and my family. take care :) wasalaamu alaykum :) ps - Elizabeth Bell wrote back to me.. she seems like a very cool person :) |
Re: send an email to a good reporter :) |
---|
Laboogie |
01/05/02 at 03:32:59 |
[slm] ummmm, u can direct those chocolates to sis.Laboogie's address, thank you very much---and anyone who would like to send se7en any thank you mail (chocolate, flowers, money,etc.) u need to send it to me first...as a policy of la godmothers all mail needs to go through godmother Laboogie (security reasons)....;) |
Individual posts do not necessarily reflect the views of Jannah.org, Islam, or all Muslims. All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners. Comments are owned by the poster and may not be used without consent of the author.The rest © Jannah.Org |