MWM? At first, I had difficul-

ty coming to grips with it. The first

question that came to mind was,

―Well, if the girls have an MWM, then

who‘re all these other sisters in the

MSA?‖ My first inclination was that

they were spies, no doubt, hoping to

infiltrate the ranks of (what I was

slowly assuming to be an all-male)

MSA. But trust that I am not alone;

many of my comrades, colleagues,

associates, and regular business

partners all came with the same

questions and concerns. ―Does this

mean that they‘re breaking away

from the MSA?‖ ―Is the MSA so wack

to these girls that they were better

off doing things on their own?‖ ―When

will the first MSA/MWM Civil War break

out?‖ All very legitimate concerns, I

might add. But amidst the clamor of just

figuring what this dastardly MWM was

up to, one enlightened voice cut

through the crowd of ignorance and

doubt proclaiming, Let‘s start an

MMM!‖ Brilliant.

The rationale was simple: since

the MSA doesn‘t receive university fund-

ing due to its presidential election pro-

cess, we would get that money through

the use of a marionette group titled the

Muslim Men of Maryland to procure

those funds and deliver them to the

MSA. What a plan! How could it possibly

fail? Well, except for the fact that it

failed miserably, it was foolproof!

All jokes aside, alhamdulillah

for us, the MWM is great and is eager

to serve all of our Muslim women on

campus. Its mainly run by a strong,

although small, group of committed

women who put together a number of

events to help everyone feel welcome

and a part of the community here at

Maryland with events like the MWM

Ball and the Your Best You to name a

few. But that‘s the reason the MWM

is here - to make it easy to do what

you can to please Allah {swt} – what

other reason is there?

SHE SAID: The MWM Mastermind Plan

The other day, I was in a

meeting with some brothers and I

heard one of them ask if the MWM

was even real. How did he know?

Does he also know that we only exist

to funnel money out of the SGA to fuel

this mastermind plan? I wonder if he

caught wind of what actually goes

down at the MWM Ball and our

―sisters only halaqas?‖

As I sat in this meeting, with

a fake smile plastered on my face

trying to conceal these thought that

were whirling through my head, I did-

n‘t know what the MWM was going to

do. How could we continue with our

Pinky and The Brain plan of MSA dom-

ination if they were on to us? We

need to give these brothers a legitimate

reason as to why we exist so to allay

their suspicions and keep them compla-

cent.

After calling a top-secret meet-

ing of the finest MWM aides who had

greatest insight into the inner-workings

of those bearded heads, we finally

came up with a plan. It was so simple!

We could just say that the MWM exists

to address ―girl stuff!‖ Alhamdulillah,

this could work! Whenever we use the

―girl-stuff‖ card it always works!

So here‘s our line sisters: The

MWM exists to address issues that are

specific to sisters only – things that

brothers couldn‘t ever understand and

give advice on because of the mere fact

Excerpt from al-Nur: Volume 15 Issue 1

that they are brothers. Plus, when the

typical MSA cabinet is almost 85%

male, the leadership may not be

equipped to address issues that affect

more than 50% of their population.

When inevitably questioned about the

MWM, we can throw in that the MWM

helps improve gender relations and

communication for good measure.

Until further notice, we will say

that the MWM exists to complement

the MSA. We are our own organization

with our own events, mission, and

leadership, however we work in con-

junction with the MSA. Where the MSA

cannot venture, the MWM does.

By Adam Kareem

By Sanjana Quasem

Excerpt from al-Nur: Volume 15 Issue 1

HE SAID: Let’s Start an MMM

Alumni | Creative Writing

5

For zabiha-eating food lovers,

there aren't many options around Col-

lege Park. Many college students have

found comfort in the well-known food

joint named Pizza Roma's. It's accessi-

ble, quick, and hits the spot when

you're craving a sandwich or of course

pizza, but what to do when one is crav-

ing something a little...different? Luck-

ily for us, RJ Cafe opened in Beltsville a

little less than two years ago.

Being someone who is ob-

sessed with food, it is not an easy feat

for me to choose between so many

great-sounding specials. The owner

very patiently described the different

entrees and suggested the Chicken

Fried Steak. I ordered per his sugges-

tion and added an order of Buffalo

wings as well. They were as amazing

as they looked, perfectly fried and

coated with exactly the right amount

of sauce. I was only brought back to

reality from food-heaven when I real-

ized my main entree was ready and

just when I thought it wouldn't get any

better, lo and behold, the most beau-

tiful thing I‘ve ever seen in my life. A

perfectly fried fillet of chicken coated

education. I have had so many selfless individuals teach me about religion, kindness, and morality. More important-ly, my parents have given me so much in this life and I cannot even begin to thank them for all their dedication and kindness. Most importantly, I feel the dire need to always thanks Allah (GOD) for blessing me with so much in my life. Piece by piece these events have al-lowed me to gain a greater understand-ing of the world.

When I begin to realize how weak I am without the help of others, I also begin to see how bad it is to speak ill of others. Backbiting destroys rela-

Sir Isaac Newton is consid-ered to be one of the greatest scien-tific intellectuals of all time. I found it extremely unique when I came across this quote by Isaac Newton: ―If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of gi-ants.‖ This quote really makes me realize that our achievements, acco-lades, and successes have not been attained merely by our own actions.

When I think about award ceremonies that I have attended or achievements that I have been recog-nized for, I forget to think about how many exterior forces play a role in attaining success. For example, I could never have graduated high school without the help of the won-derful teachers I had. My English teacher Mr. Ritchick taught me so much about writing and without him I wouldn‘t have been able to write es-says for college or for any classes. I could write for years about the salient impact all my teachers have made on me by providing me with a nurturing

tionships, lives, and sometimes entire societies. If I could only begin to see how important humility is, then I‘d be sure to think twice about saying even the smallest negative thing about someone behind their back. Humility enables us to concentrate on our own flaws instead of others. Consequently, both individuals and society can create positive lifestyle changes.

So then let‘s think about how we as individuals can play a momen-tous role in creating a better world by utilizing all that we have to improve the lives of others. When we see that the blessings in our life could not have happened without help from others, and hard work (an ideal either taught to us by others or an ideal that devel-oped in us based on experiences that have resulted from outside forces), then we begin to understand how im-perative it is for us to look beyond our-selves and to greater humanity.

Humility & Humbleness

Excerpt from al-Nur: Volume 15 Issue 2

By Mohammed Usman Zia

Excerpt from al-Nur: Volume 15 Issue 1

By Tooba Mohammad

Muslim brothers working together on a project.

“Perfectly fried fillet of chicken coated with herbs and spices “

with colorful little specks of herbs and

spices sat on the table. The aroma of

the mashed potatoes, gravy, and the

sautéed vegetables made this plate

all too perfect. Needless to say, I fin-

ished every single thing on that plate

and there was not a morsel left.

I have not been back to RJ

since then but I did try some of the

desi food off their menu. I would sug-

gest sticking to their specials if it's

your first time there. The owner takes

special pride in those and it comes

across in the quality and taste of the

food. So if you haven't been down to

RJ yet and are craving something dif-

ferent, there's nothing that'll satisfy

your taste buds quite like a chicken

fried steak.

The Other Halal Place near CP

6

Alumni | Lifestyle

Mohammed Omer told sto-ries about Gaza. His stories were about people he knew and people he did not know. They were about the mothers who watched their young children bleed to death and the little boys who were playing soccer, but who never lived to see the score of their game. His stories were about homes. Little girls grew to become grandmothers in the homes which were demolished and destroyed within mere, unexpected, moments. Families were left shattered and homeless. Now fathers, mothers, daughters, and sons are knee-deep in what‘s left after the demolitions, lifting, tossing, and rummaging, to find the remnants of their lives left scattered among the rubble. ―My older brother Hosam was 13 when he was killed by seven M-16 bullets in his head, neck, and chest,‖ said Omer. ―He was killed while he was going to school. Our 34-year-old neighbor tried to drag his body to the hospital. She was shot dead by an Israeli officer. Her hus-band tried to help. He was shot and is paralyzed to this day. His brother

tried to help. He was also shot. I saw my brother‘s body in the hospital. I identi-fied it.‖ Omer was born in the Rafah Refu-gee Camp and began reporting when he was about 18. Today he is a reporter for the Washington Report on Middle East

Affairs. Omer has dedicated his life to exposing the condition of Pales-tinians living in Gaza. In 2007, Omer was awarded with the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism. His citation dubbed him ―the voice of the voiceless.‖ ―I hope to bring the story of Ga-za to the world,‖ said Omer. ―It is essential for people to know the stories brought forth by journalists. We have to build the bridges of un-derstanding.‖ His stories and photos reveal the desperation of the Palestinians, but Omer insisted that all hope was not lost.

This message was made clear through the example of Abdallah, a Palestinian boy who Omer woke from a nap to ask him what he was dreaming about. ―I dream of drinking a cold glass of mango juice,‖ he said.

March Member of the Month: Mariam Khan

By Hiba Akhtar

The Friday khateebs are

constantly urging us: ―Brothers,

sisters, spread the word and mes-

sage of Allah (swt) to everyone

around you.‖ We all probably roll

our eyes as the dawah schpeel is

given. However, as cliché the com-

mand to give dawah may appear to

us, it is an extremely important duty

incumbent upon all Muslims. As

Muslims in a non-Muslim nation, we

should seek every opportunity we

have to spread the message of

‗There is no God but Allah.‘ And the

task is not easy. Alhamdulillah, the

MSA would like to recognize one

member who is truly dedicated to

the task of giving dawah. As head of

the Dawah committee, Sister Mari-

am Khan has worked tirelessly and

effortlessly to ensure that the MSA

is doing its part to give dawah to

the campus community.

Sr. Mariam brought in a new

energy that refreshed the committee

members. Not only did she hold week-

ly meetings, but she also held the

same meeting twice a week to ensure

that anybody interested could take

part of the committee. Along with the

regular tasks of dawah tabling, she

planned and conducted an MSA

meeting about giving dawah. In addi-

tion, she started new projects to in-

clude the entire MSA in dawah-giving

efforts instead of just committee

members. Such projects include Im-

ages of Truth, a Qur‘an based photog-

raphy contest that asked members to

reflect the meaning of verses in pho-

tography

In addition to her efforts as

Dawah Committee head, Sr. Mariam

is also an active member. She is a

Gaza Unveiled

Excerpt from al-Nur: Volume 15 Issue 1

regular fixture in the Musallah and

has worked arduously in the past on

various other events, such as Fast-a-

Thon. She is always willing to offer a

helping hand and constantly seeks to

help build the community which is so

integral to the MSA.

Dawah Committee has al-

ready laid the foundation for this

event. All that YOU need to do is get

your friends and classmates to at-

tend. Giving dawah is an obligation

upon all of us. I will leave you with the

words of the holy Qur‘an. ―And let

there be such a group among you,

that they may call towards goodness

and command what is just and forbid

evil. And the very same attained to

their goals.‖ {Surah Al-Imran, Verse

104}

Mohammed Omer

By Sanjana Quasem

Excerpt from al-Nur: Volume 14 Issue 2

7

Alumni | MSA/Current Events

I became Muslim during the spring

of my junior year in high school. The

first time I was exposed to Islam was in

the summer during my elementary

years of school. My grandmother re-

verted to Islam when she was older.

She took me to the masjid, had me in

Arabic class, and I prayed the five daily

prayers. I did not take shahada (I was

not Muslim) and I did not fully under-

stand what I was doing, but I did not

object because it did not seem strange

to me.

Now I will jump to the tenth grade.

For some unknown reason I got the

idea in my head that I was going to

hell. I didn't exactly know why I had

that feeling because according to my

beliefs of what a good person was, I

was up there. I didn't lie or steal; I nev-

er had a boyfriend; I was a good stu-

dent, played sports, did what my par-

ents told me to, and I believed in God.

Yet, I thought that somehow this was

not good enough. I never really put

any thought into my beliefs. All I knew

was that I believed in God.

At the same time that I was read-

ing the Bible I occasionally read a

Quran that my grandmother had given

me. I found many similarities between

the two so this persuaded me to con-

tinue reading. I found that the Quran

shared my rejection of trinity and con-

firmed my belief of Jesus being the

son of Mary, rather than the son of

God. This made me happy; I couldn't

believe that I held the same beliefs

that were in the Quran, but I became

frightened because as I got closer to

Islam I realized I was distancing my-

self from Christianity, and I was un-

sure if I was doing the right thing.

While visiting my grandmother I

opened the Quran randomly to a page

and this is the first thing that I read:

" .. This day have those who reject

Faith given up all hope of your reli-

gion: yet fear them not but fear Me.

This day have I perfected your religion

for you, completed My favor upon

you, and have chosen for you Islam

as your religion ... " ( 5:3) Immediately

after I read this I told my grandmother

that I wanted to take my shahada

and become Muslim, officially. I took

my shahada and I have never looked

back.

I thank Allah for making me

Muslim. I no longer feel that hell is

my certain destination because now I

have the Quran as my guide and Is-

lam as my deen. With Allah's mercy

and forgiveness Jannah will be my

final home. Insha' Allah. If you want

Jannah strive for it and if you fear

the hell fire stay away from that

which brings it closer and if you want

the truth as I did you will have it.

sujood. Finding these motions some-

what odd and indescribable, he asked

with puzzlement and concern, ―Are you

looking for something?‖

What‘s even more amusing

than individual instances is what they

all have in common. If you‘ve ever

prayed in a classroom on campus, and

had an awaiting class walk in on you,

you know that the response is a-l-w-a-y-s

the same: Person A walks in and first

sees an empty room, then a random

What‘s the first thought that

comes to mind when you think of the

times that you‘ve prayed in public?

For some, it‘s uneasiness; for others,

a sense of accomplishment and an

opportunity to make the ultimate as-

sertion to passersby: ―I am a Muslim.‖

But for me – it‘s another

good laugh. This is because of the

times that I do pray in public, the peo-

ple around simply don‘t know how to

act. Individuals who I would otherwise

classify as impressively intelligent

suddenly resort to behavior I can re-

spectfully classify as humorous, to

say the least.

As an illustration of this con-

cept, the very first time that I did pray

in public, a good friend of mine hap-

pened to find me in rukuh. He paus-

es, looks around, and suddenly sees

me kneeling for what we know to be

person standing with their arms folded

and apparently whispering something

to themselves. Next, they always hap-

pen to say and do just about the same

thing: ―Oop, I‘m sorry, I…you…,‖ then,

do this little nervous hop or walk thing,

and quickly redirect themselves to the

nearest exit.

Alhamdulilah, at the very

least, they are respectful. Walking out

of the room itself is a scene straight

out of a Red-Carpet Premiere sans the

Paparazzis, the cameras, Zach Efron …

or even the carpet itself… but you get

the point, right? You walk out of the

room with a heightened sense of ce-

lebrity, maneuver through the 15 awk-

wardly silent people standing in wait,

and add this story as just another time

of praying in public.

Praying In Public

My Way to the Truth

Muslim brothers praying outside Shoppers. Excerpt from al-Nur: Volume 15 Issue 1

By Adam Kareem

Excerpt from an-Nur: Volume 10 Issue 1

By Parise Henry

10

Alumni | Personal Experiences

In a hadith Qudsi, Allah {‗azza wa

jal} says: ‗I am what my serv-

ant thinks of Me, and I am

with him if he calls up on

Me.‘ In another hadith of the Prophet

(salla Allahu alayhi wa sal-

lam), says: Allah the Most

Generous, is shy if a person

raises his hands to Him in

supplication, to return them

empty and disappointed.

A hadith by the Prophet (salla

Allahu alayhi wa sallam)

says: ―The servant is closest

to his Lord when he is pros-

trating (in sujood), so in-

crease in making duaa‖. The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi

wa sallam) said: Every night,

Allah, the most blessed, the

Superior, descends to the

heaven of the world when the

last third of the night is left

and says: ―Is there anyone

invoking Me so that I respond,

is there anyone asking Me so

that I give him, is there any-

one asking Me for forgiveness

so that I forgive him?‖ In a hadith by Prophet Muhammad

(salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam)

said: ―Supplication of a Mus-

lim for his Muslim brother be-

hind his back, is answered,

and the appointed angel says:

Ameen, and for you the

same.‖

Some Duaas to be said and used:

"Our Lord! Give us good in this

world and good in the Hereaf-

ter, and save us from the

Take One Step at a Time, No

Need to Rush

By Omar Chatila and Susan J. Shatila

Allah often tests us with

crazy, pressured, mind-blowing ex-

ams that make us buckle. I often

think of our faith like a sine curve,

where the x-axis is Islam (it is un-

changing, our beliefs are funda-

mental), and the y-axis represents

sin (Islam), our faith, ebbing and

sinking to the rhythm of iman-

pulses in our hearts. And we‘ve all

definitely heard of people who have

had these situations as well. The

problem is, we often forget to smile

and say Alhamdulillah! What mat-

ters most is our perceptions and

how we deal with them.

There has been no other

ayah that has resonated more har-

moniously with my heart than:

―Allah does not impose upon any

soul a duty but to the extent of its

ability; for it is (the benefit of) what

it has earned and upon it (the evil of)

what it has wrought.‖

SubhanAllah, when the Rasu

(sallalahu 'alaihi wa sallam) passed

away, people were devastated. They

kept on crying and bawling, and some

people didn't even believe Rasulullah

(s.a.w.) was dead. At this conduct,

Abu Bakr (radi-Allahu anhu) was up-

set. He stood up and said: O People!

If Muhammad is the sole object of

your adoration, then know that he is

dead. But if it is Allah (The One God)

Your Guide to Making it Through Finals

you worship, then know that He does

not die.‖ Whoa man. This is

Rasulullah (s.a.w)! Allah is reminding

us to move on and not forget the big-

ger picture.

Don't forget that Allah is mer-

ciful, too. Some of us are so wrapped

up in the crap of our lives, we don't

remember a time when all was bliss

and harmony, and we end up becom-

ing nostalgic of our past and how

"beautiful" it was. Man, your past was-

n't that beautiful; you just missed it

and thought it was cooler compared

to your situation now. So when Allah

bestows a blessing upon you, TAKE

IT!! And don't take it for granted. Be

happy and smile, son!! Shout it out!!

Don't reach that point where you truly

forget what it means to be happy.

By Eman Haggag

Excerpt from al-Nur: Volume 14 Issue 2

torment of the Fire!" "Our Lord! bestow on us Mercy

from Thyself, and dispose of

our affair for us in the right

way!" "O my Lord! truly am I in

(desperate) need of any good

that Thou dost send me!" ―Oh Allah, nothing is easy unless

You make it easy, and You

can make sadness easy.‖ A hadith said by the Prophet (peace

and blessings be upon him): ―Nothing

changes fate except for Duaa‖.

Note: All mentioned ahadith are clas-

sified as authentic by Sheikh Al-

Albani.

Excerpt from al-Nur: Volume 13 Issue 4

11

Alumni | Spirituality

There was once a woman, who

upon hearing that we will be held ac-

countable for everything we say, only

spoke through the words of the Qur'an.

SubhanAllah. Every comment she

made, every question she asked, every

answer she gave, was from the Qur'an.

In the style of this woman, the majority

of this article is from the Qur‘an. This

article is meant to be a reminder. Allah

says ―But remind, for indeed, the re-

minder benefits the Believers‖ (51:55).

And of course, this is a reminder to

myself, first and foremost…

We can get a little frustrated

with our brothers and sisters some-

times, but in the end, the Believers

are but a single Brotherhood (49:10). And when we hear rumors

ab out ourselves and o thers ,

...ascertain the truth, lest you harm a

people out of ignorance and become,

over what you have done, full of re-

pentance (49:6). And when we see divisions with-

in ourselves remember Allah created

you from male and female, and made

you into nations and tribes, that you

may know one another (not that you may despise

each other) (49:13). And when we go through tough

times, remember, On no soul does

Allah place a burden greater than it can bear (2:286) and

that Verily, with every difficulty, there is

ease; Verily, with every difficulty there

is ease (94:5-6). Hard time studying? ...And they

encompass not a thing of His

knowledge except for what He wills

(2:255). And we know Help is always

there: And when My servants ask you,

concerning Me — indeed I am near. I

respond to the invocation of the suppli-

cant when he calls upon Me. So let

them respond to Me [by obedience]

and believe in Me that they may be

[rightly] guided (2:186). And remember to purify our intentions,

because Allah says: And I did not cre-

ate the Jinn and men, except that they

may worship Me (51:56). And let's strive to do what Allah

has told us to do: • And We have enjoined upon man

[care] for his parents. His mother car-

ried him, [increasing her] in weakness

upon weakness, and his weaning is in

two years. Be grateful to Me and to

your parents; to Me is the [final] desti-

nation (31:14). • O Children of Adam! wear your

beautiful apparel at every time and

place of prayer: eat and drink: But

waste not by excess, for Allah loves

not the wasters (7:31). • Through the Wisdom Allah (swt)

gave him, Luqman advised his son:

―And be moderate in thy pace, and

lower thy voice; for the harshest of

sounds without doubt is the braying of the ass‖ (31:19).

• Say to the believing men/women

that they should lower their gaze and

guard their modesty... (24:30/31). • And when you are greeted with a

greeting, greet [in return] with one

better than it or [at least] return it [in

a like manner]. Allah takes careful

account of all things. (4:86) In the end, we are all looking

for the same thing: For those who

have believed and done righteous

deeds will have Gardens beneath

which rivers flow. That is the great

attainment (85:11). So remember, there are an-

swers to all our problems, just pick up

the Qur'an and Read!... (96:1).

Qur’an Advice

Article from al-Nur: Volume 13 Issue 4

By Shabnom Khan

The Holy Qur‘an—image taken by current MSA student

12

Alumni | Spirituality

Recently something great has

come to my attention. I was awake at 3

am working on an assignment one

night, and thought to myself, Sub-

hana‘Allah, where has all the time

gone? It seemed like just yesterday

that I was a freshman with priorities

that spanned in every direction. I want-

ed to join the club teams, all the stu-

dents groups I could think of, work,

and have time to spare. Alhamdulillah,

in my final years here, I can say many

of the things I desired were fulfilled by

Allah (swt), but only after realizing one

fundamental principal; time is only

given once and we need to make the

most of it. this time is for me to re-

flect and share my experiences with

all the students, especially upcoming

seniors, on the subject of time.

There have been numerous

lectures where all I‘ve heard again and

again is ―brothers and sisters, take

advantage of your youth while you

have it‖. However, it never occurred to

me how precious our youth really is.

This summer, I realized that as I near

graduation, a whole new frontier of

my life is about to open . Although this

can possibly mean no more 3 am

mornings working on assignments, it

also means a whole new life style. In

many cases, it means no more hang-

ing with MSA brothers on a daily ba-

sis. it means fewer opportunities to

join the club sports teams, or more

importantly, to join that community

service group. I have seen others fall

far into the routine of a 9 to 5 job,

until they have reached a point where

they don‘t have time to do side com-

munity projects, or to be with their

brothers and sisters.

Why is this important? Because right

now we have the opportunity to set

definitions to our lives that insha‘Al-

lah we can continue to perpetuate

throughout our lifetime. this is now

time where we can all ask ourselves

what we are doing and who we are

doing it for, and constantly remind

ourselves this:

Abdullah bin Abbas (Radi-alla-u-Anhu)

reports that Rasulullah said ( صلى هللا

There are two bounties of― :(عليه وسلم(

Allah wherein most people are de-

ceived, health and free time.‖

After much thought I realized that

even the seemingly insignificant tasks

we do can have the most meaning to

them. Take, for example, time you

spend with brothers or sisters, includ-

ing non-Muslim friends. How can you

make the most out of this time? This

is can be critical time to reflect and

renew your intentions, even if you‘re

watching a movie, eating, or playing a

game. Our lives truly are dawah in

action, and being an example, learn-

ing from one another, and getting

closer to one another for the sake of

Allah (swt) is what being Muslim all is

about.

After considering this, I thought about

how much time I waste watching TV,

sitting around, or on the Internet. It

made me think again that this is time

I am truly never going to get back. I

thought about how many times a

week most of us call our parents, and

even grandparents. It‘s true that

sometimes we all get caught up in an

assignment, followed by a test, and

then by school. As time progresses,

you find yourself caught up in your

work, and one day, insha‘Allah, it may

be your kids. before we know it, time

has flown by and it may be too late to

make that call.

So in closing, what I have picked up in

these four years is that life is about

taking time to stop and smell the ros-

es. Stop, look around you, and take

heed of what Allah (swt) has placed

around you, and where Allah (swt) has

placed you. Then take the time to

pause and renew your intentions be-

fore you do anything. You may come

to find out that you have a bit more

time to help your community, finish

your paper, call your family, admire

Allah‘s (swt) bounty, and realize that

our time here is precious.

Time By Jamal Jeter

13

Sneak Peak

“Abdullah bin Abbas (Radi-

alla-u-Anhu) reports that

Rasulullah said: “There are

two bounties of Allah

wherein most people are

deceived, health and free

time.”

Many Muslims were filled with

excitement for the debates, and politi-

cal activism during the 2008 presiden-

tial election, when Barack Obama ran

for President,. Fast-forward to the pre-

sent and the amount of discussion

about the upcoming November elec-

tions is negligible at best. This is unfor-

tunate because these are the elections

that affect us the most.

Most roads are funded by our

county or state, as are police depart-

ments, schools, universities (including

this one), parks, many hospitals, and

many other public services we use.

While it is important to focus on who

represents us in Congress or as presi-

dent, Muslims and the rest of our com-

munities need to be concerned about

what goes on in the politics of our cit-

ies, counties, and states as well.

Let‘s assume that, for some

reason, Muslims are only responsible

for participating in politics when it

affects Muslims, which is untrue.

Here is an example of how things can

turn out badly for Muslims when they

do not participate in the political pro-

cess as a whole.

The Texas State Board of

Education, a board comprised of 15

elected officials, recently decided to

adopt a resolution limiting the

amount of references to Islam in text-

books that are used in the state‘s

public schools. According to them, the

textbooks had a pro-Islam and anti-

Christianity bias. It is common

knowledge that people already aren‘t

getting a holistic view of Islam as it is;

now all the students in the public edu-

cation system of a whole state will be

getting a view controlled by a board

with very little knowledge of Islam.

Remember, this is a prestig-

ious university (yes, I know it‘s hard to

believe) and we are all receiving a top

-notch education in our respective

fields. I know Muslims who are study-

ing civil engineering, education, gov-

ernment and politics, public health,

and many other related fields. Even if

you haven‘t graduated yet, you know

more about your field than most of

the other people registered to vote in

the upcoming elections. Having been

blessed with knowledge that could

greatly further society, it becomes all

our responsibilities to take part in the

upcoming elections.

Elections By Anonymous

15

Sneak Peak

Large Muslim congregational prayer at Capitol Hill in October 2010.

Image taken by Manaar Zuhurudeen.

www.issuu.com/alnur