Monday, 13 May 2013

"We Are Demonized" - British Muslim Students



http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/05/13/muslim-anger-student-rights-extremism-campus-_n_3265222.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

Do check out the link above as it articulates the issue very well. Again, there is fuss about the issue sex-segregation among Muslim students in their Islamic events on campus. This issue is being coupled with the idea that it stems from extremism and therefore shows the 'backwardness' and incompatibility of Islamic societies with western culture- implied by Raheem Kassam from the 'Student Rights' organisation. Apparently this is all done in the name of
  "dedicated to supporting equality, democracy and freedom from extremism on university campuses". But I refuse to believe this statement since statements of this sort have been thrown around. It seems as if anything goes so long as you throw in the words 'freedom' and 'democracy'. One finds it hard to see how sex-segregation is linked to extremism if one discovers the significance behind it. Not to mention Islamic events by Islamic societies on campus usually have a section dedicated for those male and female students who choose to sit together. So, if a person wanted to sit in among their own gender only, they are free to do so. If they wished to sit with both genders, again they are free to do so. It's all consentual and does not stem from discrimination, certainly not extremism. 


I remember a few months back just after Hamza Tzortzis had a theological debate with Lawrence Krauss whom was due to have another debate with Richard Dawkins some time after. But that was stopped because Dawkins and Krauss complained about the sex segregation taking place at such events... even though there were designated areas where male and female students had the free choice to sit together. So what's the problem? I feel as if the attention is diverted onto 'issues' that were really never issues in the first place. There are more important issues to focus on that happen in campus what with theft, drinking culture, supporting students with their education etc. yet these people are focusing on this. The phrase ''eye off the ball'' applies here

It's just another feeble attack on Islamic Societies taking the small trivials things, applying a new context to them and then blowing them out of proportion. An attempt to ward non-Muslims away from having actual face-to-face interaction with their fellow Muslim students. An insincere move. Islamic societies hands down among the most active on campuses. Anything from Islamophobes to hinder their progress and alienate them from integration. Raheem Kassam implied this very practice to be synonymous with backwardness, yet isn't this 'witch-hunt' a discriminatory act which in itself is backwards? 'Freedom' and 'democracy' are only used here as a guise for Islamophobia. 

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