UMiami: Muslim Center Hits Monetary Roadblocks
Muslim students find alternate places of worship
By Jay Rooney
Published by The Miami Hurricane: Friday, October 7, 2005
The University has several places of worship that cater to students of many different faiths-Jewish students have Hillel, Catholic students have St. Augustine, Methodist students have Wesley. But Muslim students don't have such a center, due to a lack of funding.
"This issue probably goes back 15 years-we're talking a long, long time that there's been a dialogue going on," said Rev. Joe Lortie, director and chaplain of the Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship and member of the University Chaplains Association. "The Islamic campus ministries have been trying to raise money for a number of years."
According to Dr. Pat Whitely, vice president for student affairs, funding is the main obstacle towards building an Islamic Center. "We've put the land aside, and we've engaged in a pre-design process," she said. "It's a project that would take a significant amount of money, and that money has not been raised."
Whitely said the last figures she saw pointed towards $5 million to $7 million to build the center. The land set aside for the center is in the corner diagonal to the Pavia Garage, near Hillel and the Writing Center.
Muslim students generally feel a center would be very convenient and a big improvement, although they note it's not as essential for worship as people might think.
"[Not having the center] has in no way deterred us from carrying out our religious obligations as Muslims on campus," Sarah Uddin, president of the Islamic Society of UM, said. "Muslim students between classes find their own niche on campus, whether it be a study room in the library or an empty classroom in Memorial, to make their own sanctuary."
However, she notes that this doesn't mean that Muslim students are perfectly happy with having no center."
Individuals or organizations willing to fund this project should be actively solicited from the on-campus and off-campus communities," she said.
Currently, Muslim students use places such as the ballrooms in the University Center (UC) and the Student Services Building for worship.
"[The space] is simply too small to house the hundreds or thousands of Muslims on campus," Amir Zaher, senior, said. "It is on the last floor of the [Student Services] building and many people don't feel very safe after sunset."
In addition to providing needed services, a new Muslim center would serve educational purposes. "
It will be a great leap forward in clearing many of the impeding misconceptions about Islam," he said.
With such a large amount of funding necessary, many Muslim students feel the new center may be beyond their scope, Zaher said.
"We need large contributors," he said. "It doesn't have to be through donations, but through advertisements, fundraising events, [or] showing more interest in the project."
INMINE: Muslims in University of Miami have endured this hardship as long as I can remember. In 1980's we had to find places for our friday prayer. The University was kind enough to provide us with one small office space to be used as our surau . But that is not enough to cater for Muslims who study and work in UM. I hope Muslims Alumni especially from rich Arab countries can donate generously for make the dream of having our own Islamic Center a reality.
posted by InMine @ 12:45 PM
2 Comments:
This is an old issue that seems to be endless. I know Kamal Zaharin is involved in the project and maybe we can get some info from him about the status. I don't think money is the problem. I remember Kamal told me that there are some legalities related to the land. They were planning to build the center somewhere in south miami, I'm not very sure myself. I'm also unsure if the university really allocate the land for the center.
Well, you know Pak Arab. The would like to argue a lot rather than solving problems amicably. Memang org Arab ni jenis keras kepala.
This country would be a great country if there is no division of races. With its richness of natural resources, Malaysia should be one among the most developed nation in Asia.
Bitter to say, all those money lost to corrupt politicians and cronies, and unprofitable projects.
This is what saddens me as Malaysian.
However, I do believe a brain drain is inevitable. I believe it is happening. As a student in long-ago school, I see it every year. Each and every year after the holidays, there are a few less people in class. Why? Their parents emigrated down under West.
I left the country in the 90s because of the injustices in Malaysia perpetrated by Umno. I made my fortune and no returned home but I thought Mahathir had somehow managed to turn the mindset of Umno around into focusing on global competition, instead of petty race-based competition.
Now I am certain that those in power want the affirmative action policies to continue, not because these policies benefit the general malay population, but because these policies give Umno the right to continue to plunder the country.
Legalised theft is what they are after, and if anyone dares speak out, they just tell you to leave the country so that they can continue their plunder.
It's sad, but my children don't have to live through this injustice. They can go anywhere they want in the world, and I encourage them.
There are many people who made big names as Malaysians only when they are treated better in other countries, not because they are Malaysians but because they are treated as one of their own.
That's explain why they choose not come back. Treatment was so good that they offered their family to emigrate over there.
Since Umno is playing the race cards openly, the coming future for non-malays is suffering through endurance. How many more years should we Malaysians suffer? It is not only the non-malays but also the poor malays struggling for survival in isolated villages.
Anyway, these people voted with their feet and wrote about their experience. They wanted to tell you about this country and how its government discriminated its minority people.
I can feel they love this country too but this country or rather this government did not love them. I can also feel their sadness and how things are turning for their malay brothers and sisters who are getting weaker and weaker in this globalised world, and all this is Umno's fault.
They realised if this is not stop immediately, this country will eventually go down the drain like those fourth world banana republics.
Their ancestors have helped this country to fight for independence and even fought off Japanese invaders but our government has never been grateful and instead discriminated against them to the hilt.
They also saw that they have become second-class citizens in their country of birth, and were very disappointed when Indonesia labours can become first class citizens whereas foreign spouses of non-malays took years just to get a PR. Even terrorists like Hambali and Abu Bakar can become PR holders easily. Something is definitely wrong with this country.
Here maybe you are malay and oblivious to others who are suffering and as a Muslim yourself, is this injustice reconcilable to the tenets of Islam?
Tony Gunawan also voted with his feet and went on to become USA's first world badminton doubles champion. Instead of helping his original country to badminton glory, he helped another country to become a potent rival.
The same could be said of our citizens who voted with their feet. Many went to Singapore and worked for companies that became our competitors. If our country and government has been kind to some of its citizens, this additional competition wouldn't have been created. I hope the present government will realise its folly and there is no substitute to real meritocracy.
The non-malays don't want everything but only fairness and social justice, a very tenet of your malays great religion. If you can't even subscribe to the tenets of your own religion, I am afraid you may be branded a hypocrite and a very racist one at that.
It is not true that there will be no policy that can keep every race happy.
Only the person who thinks that he should be treated better than others would object to a policy that is fair to all.
That feeling of "entitlement" is created by politicians who have found a convenient way to retain power in parliamentary democracy.
As a grass root, I hope that all Malaysians will live in harmony and work towards a better tomorrow, a better environment for the children.
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