American Democracy Connected by Faith

Connected by Faith Muslim students have devised and are successfully navigating ways to stay, learn and advance together

BY SAMINA SALIM

The desire for proximity is a basic tenet of human existence, one that constantly pushes the boundaries of the unknown and thus reveals new horizons for us to explore. Interactions are quintessential to our moral, social, creative and intellectual growth and form the social foundation of vibrant communities. It is with friends and family that one seeks to rejoice, entertain or empathize, sometimes vent and often simply to confide and share.

The Covid-19 pandemic has radically modified our lives, creating a culture of “social distancing” that in an otherwise normal world would be deemed rude and cold. Nevertheless, it has become the new etiquette — and rightly so. While technology’s many virtual platforms can somewhat compensate for the loss of physical contact, they can never replace the assurance of a touch and the texture of an embrace. The virtual cheers can hardly convey or reciprocate the warmth of friendly touches of appreciation that make us feel esteemed, valued and satisfied.

Our lives have been altered so drastically that we are craving for connection like never before. We miss what used to be normal, which perhaps — and at the time — seemed rather mundane. As a professor at the University of Houston (UH), I miss the energy of our lecture halls, the smell of coffee mugs, the casual hellos, crowded elevators, long lines at the local Starbucks, the laughter and the noise. I miss every bit of it. Despite virtual classrooms, social events and webinars, the craving for connection remains unfulfilled.

Having witnessed my own daughter graduate from college without a ceremony, handshakes or hugs, I fully empathize with the 2020 graduates for the moments they have missed. Considering the social distancing norms, I wondered how Muslim students were coping with the quarantine and thought about reaching out to the UH THESE ARE HISTORIC

TIMES, AND WE WANT

MUSLIM SISTERS TO BE REMEMBERED AS HAVING PLAYED A POSITIVE ROLE

IN HISTORY.” — AYSHA

SAIF, UNIVERSITY OF

HOUSTON BUSINESS MAJOR

Muslim Students Association (UHMSA), a pretty active student body established in 1964 that takes pride in its outreach and service activities.

With its 16 officers, 20+ interns and 500+ active members, UHMSA is one of Houston’s longest-running Islamic organizations and a leading resource for day-to-day Muslim campus life. The association offers a wide range of services and programs, including spiritual fulfilment, academic success, social connections and Islamic education, to a rapidly growing community.

Considering UHMSA’s active role in campus activities, I wondered how its members were facing the challenge of keeping it relevant and significant. Curious, I reached out to president Mishaal Siddiqui and was thrilled to learn that UHMSA has stepped up its roles of service and leadership during these unprecedented times. She informed me of how its members have tapped into out-of-the-box measures by conducting such virtual educational, social and professional development events as biweekly fiqh and Muslima empowerment classes, a weekly class on Imam An-Nawawi’s “40 Hadith,” a biweekly da‘wa class, weekly interfaith table hours, and a game night, as well as separate biweekly brother and sister halaqas and fitness sessions.

Of particular significance was UHMSA’s collaborative spirit in its outreach across institutions. Along with Rice University, Lone Star College, Texas Southern University, University of Houston-Downtown and the Ahlul Bayt Student Organization, it undertook a very creative approach to hosting a “Game Night Social” over Zoom. This firstever and very unique event reached out to Muslim students across Houston’s institutions, thereby enabling a spirit of unity, understanding and compassion. With over 50 attendees, the game night social involved multiple breakout rooms in which people played Skribblio, video games, Kahoot — and yes the winners did receive gift cards as prizes!

“While we look forward to getting back to in-person events, we celebrate the opportunity the virtual semester has given us in terms of accessibility. Students and non-students from around the world can easily attend all of our events on Zoom. Our attendance has been at an all-time high, and we have got lots of positive feedback about how UHMSA events help our members remain connected with their peers and with Islam during the pandemic, Alhamdu lillah,” said Siddiqui.

Clearly, the desire to connect is the dominant theme for everyone. During the pandemic, UH business major Aysha Saif invited me to serve as an advisor for the Muslimahs For Change (https://www.facebook.com/Mudeltaalpha/) sorority, Houston chapter. Curious, I asked about the need for this organization and how they intended to serve Muslim students during the pandemic. I was impressed with her response, “These are historic times, and we want Muslim sisters to be remembered as having played a positive role in history.”

This immediately sold me on the idea, and I agreed to serve as faculty advisor. Clearly, the human spirit has thrived right along with the virus, with much of the umma seeking a closer relationship not only with God, but also with each other. “What better time than now to use our iman to support our umma and our umma to support our iman,” Aysha responded.

It’s young women like Mishal and Aysha and so many more who remind us of the resilience of the human spirit. ih

Samina Salim, Ph.D., is an associate professor of pharmacology and neuroscience at the Department of Pharmacological & Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston.

The world we live in is constantly evolving and ISNA is committed to being a positive driver of change. ISNA has long recognized the importance of engaging with other faith communities as a fundamental part of its mission, and therefore, we continuously host and participate in interfaith events, meetings and webinars to educate our friends, partners, officials and activists about Islam.

These interreligious initiatives have helped break down barriers of misunderstanding, formed genuine partnerships of faith and ethics, and established a platform to advocate for social justice issues for the common good. We aim to work together to fight Islamophobia and share knowledge about the true teachings and understanding of our religion in all sectors.

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