he school year that just ended brought to the fore a couple of controversies over Muslim students on U.S. campuses. The University of Michigan announced in the fall that it would be spending $25,000 on footbaths for Muslim students. In the spring, Harvard’s decision to provide women-only gym hours to accommodate some members of the campus Islamic society sparked debate in the ivory tower and beyond. 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.
There was a comment that Australia made months ago that still seems applicable to the US problem. Certain groups over there wanted things done their way. Australia’s response was “If you don’t like the way we run our government then GET OUT”. Those of us who are old enough may recall a dialog between an American and a Russian U. N. : The American stated that we are so free that we can even speak out against our President. The Russian replied I can speak out against your President too. The American quickly quickly replied But can you go back to Russia and openly criticize Joseph Stalin? Needless to say the silence was deafening.