written for the Wall Street Journal by two young ladies amongst the leadership of the groupThe school year that just ended brought to the fore a couple of controversies over Muslim students on U.S. campuses. Yet away from the often-harsh media glare, a profound shift has begun across the country. Where dogma and conformity once defined the Muslim scene on campus, students with liberal outlooks are emerging to assert their voices on the quad. At some American colleges where the only official Muslim events used to feature gender-segregated seating, new programs are drawing diverse Muslim and non-Muslim participants to explore the complexity of the Muslim community.
Only a half-century ago, there was hardly any Muslim communal presence at American universities. In the 1960s, the Muslim World League, a Saudi charity, funded the establishment of the Muslim Students Association (MSA), initially to support foreign students studying in the U.S. and, according to the organization's Web site, to advance Da'wah (proselytizing). The MSA established its first chapter at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and now can be found on more than 100 campuses across North America.
Useful background, that bit. I knew the MSA was associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, but not that it was forged as a Saudi tool.
This kind of radicalism does not appeal to most Muslim students, who are simply trying to maintain a connection to their faith while they are at school. 'We were at a modern liberal university,' one student observed, 'listening to an imam who stepped out of the medieval period.' The result on many campuses is a binary scene, divided between what some call 'hardcore Muslims and cultural Muslims.' More than 70% of Muslim students on campus, it is estimated, are not involved with any organized Muslim association.
It was precisely this need that inspired a group of Washington-area students to establish a new campus initiative last fall. We were young men and women, mostly but not entirely of Muslim background, who decided to create an inclusive space where people of all backgrounds could join together to explore Muslim identity and community. We chose the name Project Nur, adopting the Arabic term for 'light' and 'enlightenment.'
Some students initially come to Project Nur, an initiative funded by the American Islamic Congress, because of what it rejects -- proselytizing and the politicized ambiance dominant in some Muslim groups. But what keeps students engaged is a positive civic agenda of promoting human liberty, spurring genuine interfaith dialogue and addressing identity challenges in the Muslim world and in our local communities. Speakers promote an open-minded embrace of American life and creative expression. By the end of the academic year, more than 1,000 students had joined our mailing list, and seven chapters along the East Coast had organized over 30 events.
Students also organized protests outside the Saudi and Afghan embassies to demand freedom for young activists jailed in those countries for expressing their opinions. We partnered with Darfur advocacy groups to challenge genocide in the Muslim world and helped organize a concert in solidarity with Iranian rock bands restricted from performing publicly. Many of these activities included non-Muslim participants and co-organizers.
Project Nur reflects the complex identities on campus -- including cultural Muslims and students with only one Muslim parent -- defying outsiders' stereotypes and hardliners' religious dogmas. Responsible leadership, on campus and beyond, is the remedy for the pressing challenges facing the American Muslim community.
Exactly what we've been demanding since 9/12/01. May they stay safe from those who would make them as well as us slaves to jihad. Oh, and take a look at the American Islamic Congress website. I like their suggestions on responding to hate speech -- especially within the Muslim community.