Al-Bayan Spring '12 by Al-Bayan

Spring 2012

Al-Bayan

The Muslim Student Publication at The University of California, Berkeley

Science and Religion a look at Scientific factS pReSent in the QuRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;an

IslamIc RequIem conveyIng the message thRough an aRtIstIc foRm of communIcatIon

P Rotest m IsconcePtIons one student actIvIst attemPts to dIsPel common mIsconcePtIons

Plus

InspIratIonal poems from our poetry contest

PERSPECTIVES Enter a portal of different views Volume 14

Issue 2

Al-Bayan

Letter from the Editor

The Muslim Student Publication at The University of California, Berkeley

Volume 14

Issue 2

Editor-in-Chief Maliha Ahmed Managing Editor Sarah Mohamed Layout Editor Lameese Eldesouky

“F

Layout Designers Shelby Ashbaugh Iman Rai Mariam Sleiman

Photography Editor Farhana Jahan

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Photographers Mohammad Afsar Mustafa Eisa Marwa Ibrahim Natalie Irwin

Finance Manager Mohamed Haimoud

Alhamdulilah (all praise is due to God) Al-Bayan

Minhaj Khan

Web Editor Marjon Momand Advisors Yusuf Chao Amani Jadallah Asnavy Sari CONTACT Al-BAYAN

albayanmag@gmail.com Al-Bayan

www.albayanmag.com Al-Bayan

school year. Al-Bayan As-salamu ‘alaykum (may peace be upon you)

On The Cover -

Spring 2012

Al-Bayan

The Muslim Student Publication at The University of California, Berkeley

confeSSionS of a female mSa pReSident

Science and Religion a look at Scientific factS pReSent in the QuR’an

IslamIc RequIem conveyIng the message thRough an aRtIstIc foRm of communIcatIon

PRotestIng foR humanIty

one student actIvIst attemPts to dIsPel common mIsconcePtIons

Plus

InspIratIonal poems from our poetry contest

PERSPECTIVES

Enter a portal of different views Volume 14

Al-Bayan

Spring 2012

Issue 2

Science in Revelation Bushra Samimi

Islamic Requiem Omar Rehmane

Church and Ummah Fatima Azam

Syrian Struggle Taqwa Elhindi

Spring 2012

Content Volume 14 Issue 2

14 12

Protesting Pros Fatima Mekkaoui

OTI: Counterproductive Nader Atassi

Community

Brown

Farhana Jahan

I Followed your Dreams Erum Khan

Zienab Abdelgany

Allah, my one Inas Hyatt

InsPIRatIonal student Poems from our fIrst annual poetry contest! Spring 2012

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Science in Revelation By Bushra Samimi Photo by Evan Bench

(16: 68-69)

tawhid

(36:40) (21:33)

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Spring 2012

(21:33)

The De-separaTaion of

ChurCh anD ummah

By Fatima Azam Photo by

(Genesis 11.4-6)

(Genesis 11.6-7)

(Qur’an 40.36-37) (Qur’an 40.45) -

(Quran 2.213)

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Islamic Requiem By Omar Shameem

Rehmane Sial Photos by (left) Laura Nolan, (top right) Simon Fernandez, (bottom right) Stephanie Bouzard

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-Fin

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A YEAR OF STRUGGLE THE SYRIAN PEOPLE PROTESTING BY TAQWA ELHINDI THE REGIME Asha’ab yureed isqat alnitham

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SYRIA FLASH MOB AND PROTESTS ORGANIZED BY CAL MSA POLITICAL ACTIONS COMMITTEE, PHOTOS BY NATALIE IRWIN -

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“Don’t give someone criticism unless you have the solution to the problem you see. Oftentimes that’s exactly what is lacking: the alternative. So until the alternative is found, one will continue to do what one knows best.” 10

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Common

MISCONCEPTIONS about PROTESTING Using her experience of protesting since the tender age of 16 and the results of her short campus survey on protesting attitudes, UC Berkeley senior Fatima misconceptions that people have.

“T

hat protest is hella dumb. What’s even the point?”

“Do they really even think they’re going to bring back the dead with that candlelight vigil of theirs?”

No.

ing.

Yay we screamed -

beginning.

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There are many

2 12

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When protesters go out onto the

on the issue. Your numbers also dem-

“Some people don’t like protests, because it forces them to deal with an issue that’s in their face on their way to work, class, school, the store, etc. They have no choice but to deal with this upwelling of moral consciousness in their faces, which makes them very uncomfortable. But no one ever said the point of a protest was to elicit any form of comfort. In fact, it is meant to do the complete opposite.”

when Allah swt wills it to happen;

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Extending THE branch How Dialogue Groups Can be CounterProductive to the Palestinian Cause

BY NADER Atassi -

THE SUGGESTION THAT ALL WE NEED IS “DIALOGUE” AND “HONEST AND AUTHENTIC DISCOURSE” TO OVERCOME OUR PROBLEMS SUGGESTS THAT THE ENTIRE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT IS A RESULT OF EACH SIDE’S EXTREMITY, CLOSED-MINDEDNESS, AND REFUSAL TO LISTEN TO THE OTHER SIDE. -

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P h o t o ta k e n by F l i c k r u s e r c r a z y m a q

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REFLECTIONS ON COMMUNITY: Scene #1:

glue.

Scene #2: -

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because Allah swt

grade. -

Scene #3:

â&#x20AC;&#x153; -

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Brown She said I probably don’t use soap which is why my skin is so dirty, Brown. Why can’t I just wash my genes clean, wear my face, arms, back, legs in the shade like forsha girls. I learned to hate the sun at a young age, and my skin long before then. No amount of scrubbing and bleach could fade this dirt, this hurt, when I like sunburn, if i could sunburn, and not turn brown instead. I discerned confusion. «But you live in America, you should be white!» Sorry to disappoint.

That my straight A’s don’t stand for “Anglophile” California sunkissed skin translates to it’ll be harder for you to There was an uncle, whom I had never met, ‘what was he like?’ I asked. Kalo. Dark. Not dark like he was broody, or found morbid humor amusing. Not even tall, dark, and handsome, because that word doesn’t belong among the others--dark. They say dark chocolate’s an acquired taste.

Then one day, ‘You look lighter than before!’ The dark shadow crossing my dark eyes, I can’t remember the color of my skin. It grows dim, brown paper bag, paper thin, for you to wash me with color or wash me clean. Bleaches and creams, I tried them all, not eight years old, but old enough to hate this shamla chamra, ki nongra. In my land of brown bodies, I must be fair of skin to be lovely.

turns sweet?

I Followed your Dreams I followed your dreams. I followed your dream and it led me through alleys and pathways, forests, Deserts in the midst of vast oasis. I followed your dream to the end of a tunnel and back, Lost a candle and lit another, an empty corner Following all the way. I followed along fences and over them, rung and picket. One two three one two three

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One two three more steps to go. I followed your voice even through whispers And strained my ears to lead my feet. They perked and my eyes seldom wandered Focused only on the echoes you sent through winding hallways. I followed staircases and bridges, Bound to their endpoint and bound to the Hollow sounds and trail of stale breadcrumbs I followed your dreams. But at the end you were Nowhere to be found.

Allah, my one I got a good one and I know what you’re thinkin’ “yah yah inas we heard this before every other week you meet someone inspires weak at the knees just the awe of the visual but this one and my words afraid to run game but real talk, just the idea of this one makes me stop and just think… dang, I got a good one

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but I’m really digging this track new jack city swing swing low sweet chariots and my mother’s mother’s mother’s mother lost the one the I won so I know to love this one so deeply

Serves only HALAL food

and back when I was younger misguided feelings tears soul asunder and hearing what she said, he said and they said then all of a sudden I forgot how we felt and insecurity and doubt caused me to deuce out and I dont know what was louder, my heart or my soul calling back the one that I thought i lost but my arrogance made my words stay silent face stoic, the pain and trying to hide it but then I saw other people with my one and even though I let you go, I knew no one could love you like I do and we had it and I took our love for granted so grant me mercy because you told me when I walk to you you come at me in haste so I stood at the origins of my faith and realized it is only god who is great Ar Rahman Ar Rahim Al Wahab Al Alim you are always the one to me

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