Sunday, February 7, 2016

University of Iowa Gives Growing Muslim Student Population Prayer Space



University of Iowa Gives Growing Muslim Student Population Prayer Space
by Dr. Susan Berry 6 Feb 2016
The University of Iowa (UI) has dedicated two rooms of the Iowa Memorial Union as a prayer space for its growing Muslim student population, which is required to pray five times per day.

“We’ve had students who have tried to find empty rooms, I’ve even heard of a student using a stairwell so we did think this was a very important and necessary thing to respond to,” Dean of Students Lyn Redington said, according to CBS2Iowa. “The University of Iowa is a global, international institution, but we want all of our students to feel welcomed.”

“Normally when I’m on campus, I try to look for an empty room, which may be hard in the day with all these students or if I can’t find a room I’ll go to the top of a staircase and just pray there,” said Mohammed Ismail, a member of the Muslim Student Association (MSA).

The UI MSA posted an announcement to Facebook about the opening of the prayer space which read, “For the first time, Muslim students at the University of Iowa have a safe place to pray on campus.”

“The Muslim Students Association (MSA) of the United States and Canada was incorporated in January 1963, when members of the Muslim Brotherhood came together at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with the goal of ‘spreading Islam as students in North America,’” observes the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT).

IPT continues:

Islamic extremism is on the rise on college and university campuses across the United States. The spread of radical Islamism on campuses has proven to be an effective tool to garner support and gain legitimacy, exploiting the right of free association with academic institutions. International and domestic groups that advocate extremist or radical causes frequently host lectures and other events on campuses to shore up support and recruit members. Indeed, universities are a fertile field for radicals searching for the next generation of activists and sympathizers.

Muslim UI student Arham Pasha said he was accustomed to having a prayer room at his former school.

“I really learned the value of having that space,” Pasha said. “Kind of made a sense of home for me, at the same time a sense of community. I’m hoping that this room takes on, both of these rooms, take on that same viewpoint and goal.”

According to the news report, “Islam is all-inclusive,” and, thus the prayer rooms are “open to everyone.”

“Islam is represented, not in its true form by many,” Pasha said. “We would want to kind of show the majority perspective and the only way that perspective comes is when questions are asked and answered without any boundaries.”

“It’s not just for Muslims, it’s for the students at the University of Iowa and people who are interested in Islam,” Ismail added.

University of Iowa (UI)
Susan M. Phillips was a VP for the University of Iowa (UI), and a member of the Federal Reserve Board.

Note: Daniel K. Tarullo is a member of the Federal Reserve Board, was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and a professor for Georgetown University.
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Center for American Progress, and the Human Rights Watch.
George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, was a supporter for the Center for American Progress, the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, and a benefactor for the Human Rights Watch.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Center for American Progress, and the Human Rights Watch.
Madeleine K. Albright is a director at the Center for American Progress, and a professor at Georgetown University.
Alwaleed bin Talal is a benefactor for the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, and the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation.
Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation was a funder for the Islamic Development Bank, and the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow.
Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow is a sponsor for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.
Daisy Khan is an executive director for the American Society for Muslim Advancement, a developer for Park51, and was a director at the White House Project.
Park51
Park51 (originally named Cordoba House) was a planned 13-story Islamic community center in Lower Manhattan including a "Muslim community center and a mosque."[6] The developers hoped to promote an interfaith dialogue within the greater community.[6] Due to its location two blocks from the World Trade Center site,[7][8] it has been widely and controversially referred to as the "Ground Zero mosque".[9] Numerous commentators disputed that characterization.
Gara LaMarche was a director at the White House Project, a VP & director of U.S. programs for the Open Society Foundations, and an associate director at the Human Rights Watch.
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Center for American Progress, and the Human Rights Watch.
Barbra Streisand Foundation was a funder for the Human Rights Watch.
Barbra Streisand is the founder for the Barbra Streisand Foundation, and a William Morris Endeavor Entertainment client.
Kanye West is a William Morris Endeavor Entertainment client, and Common’s producer.
Common’s producer is Kanye West, and a parishioner at the Trinity United Church of Christ (Chicago).
Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. is a senior pastor at the Trinity United Church of Christ (Chicago), and was a member of the African American Religious Leadership Committee.
African American Religious Leadership Committee was an advisory group for the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign.
Barack Obama was a candidate for the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign, a parishioner at the Trinity United Church of Christ (Chicago), and an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
Trumpeter Newsmagazine is a publication for the Trinity United Church of Christ (Chicago).
Louis Farrakhan was awarded the 2007 Jeremiah Wright Jr. Trumpeter award from the Trumpeter Newsmagazine, and is the acting head for the Nation of Islam (Muslims).
R. Eden Martin is counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago.    
Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Valerie B. Jarrett is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration, and her great uncle is Vernon E. Jordan Jr.
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP is the lobby firm for the Fluor Corporation, and was a funder for the Center for American Progress.
Ilesanmi Adesida was a director at the Fluor Corporation, and is the dean for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Engineering.
Daniel K. Tarullo was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a professor for Georgetown University, and is a member of the Federal Reserve Board.
Susan M. Phillips was a member of the Federal Reserve Board, and a VP for the University of Iowa (UI).

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