How dare you do X when there are people dying in the world?!?

You —

Just been browsing MPAC and there are a couple of different posts/topics berating groups/societies for not totally focussing on the Gaza issue.

"How dare you have a talk about issue X when there are people dying in Gaza?"

Sounds moronic to me - There are people dying on injustice everyday but at some point people need to also live their own lives.

Besides, most events about these injustices will be of the effect as mentioned in this article [which overall (especially the start) is not to my liking.]:

Many people around the world showed support to the beaten up Arab students. “I dedicated my Facebook status so I can feel good about myself,” said Sheila Ali, “and now I don’t have to do anything.”

Other outraged Muslims simply attend ongoing protests and join the countless amount of Facebook groups to feel good about themselves. An anonymous rally junkie explained, “I attended this protest the other day and everyone was shouting things and burning stuff. I never knew that being aimlessly angry can feel that good.”

Forum

sbf (not verified) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 - 14:03

What about just praying normally for those people everyday? I don't think it takes that much of your time and I think it might be more effective than doing all the things mentioned in the above quote.

You — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 - 14:38

Forget the politics, the peace studies and the international law.

Doing dua is a big thing. At the same time raising awareness is an important thing. But through protests and sloganeering this may not actually be achieved at all. While shouting "1,2,3,4 - Occupation no more. 5,6,7,8 - Israel is a terrorist state" may make you feel better, it will not convince most people.

A good way to raise awareness is to challenge the opposing views. When someone says something that you disagree with, let them know in a calm and convincing manner - that would probably do more than any amount of sloganeering.

Concentrating on JUST gaza will defy the concept and aims of an ISOC. << but that's just what I think. Also it's unfair on the rest of teh Muslim world nationally and internationally.

It's not the only conflict zone in the world, but it is easy. Israel is always more in the wrong of whatever happens. There are western companies that can be boycotted. It can all be woven into a worldwide conspiracy theory.

Yes, that does not serve the purpose of the ISOC's (and they should not only be political - but also educate about Islam itself.) and when they have exams to concentrate on as well as some campaigning, the easy stuff will win.

Tougher international issues may be Somalia and South Ossettia. Even tougher sells would be Darfur, the Kurds, Lebanon and its many intricate problems. And then you can get into analysing the Turkish political system. Now that last one is fascinating, but it comes with no slogans.

On top of all this I mentioned a general Islamic awareness campaign. There will be people at uni who only just discover Islam (even those that have been Muslim their whole life but before never thought about it) and there needs to be something to teach them. In an as much unbiased way as possible. How to wash in the Islamic sense, how to pray, the why's behind them. Halaal and haraam and how to distinguish etc.

ISOC's do not have an easy task and that was part of why I disagreed with the stance in those MPAC posts - GAZA/world conflict is not the be all and the end all.

Ya'qub — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 - 14:40

[quote=You]

A good way to raise awareness is to challenge the opposing views. When someone says something that you disagree with, let them know in a calm and convincing manner - that would probably do more than any amount of sloganeering.
[/quote]

Surely you can't be serious?

When, in the entire history of human civilisation, has that worked?

You — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 - 14:43

No idea - and by challenge I do not mean "YOU ARE WRONG INFIDEL! DIE "£$ DIE!", but rather when someone who does not know much goes "Well, why can't they all live together?" or "Well, if the Palestinians took what they were given there would be peace" or "Well, Israel needs to destroy the terrorists" it may be a good idea to just talk to the people. Not everyone will go into the whole thing with a personal bias.

Not that I have done that. I have gone into a few discussions full of vitriol and lack of clue.

(and I am not sure if you were being sarcastic or not. The Hiroshima quote from Starship troopers does come to mind as a reason for VIOLENCE having solved more conflicts than anything else...)

You — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 - 21:57

[quote=MuslimBro]When I said us I meant my Isoc, not the revival.[/quote]

You may want to retaliate. I suggest a blog post from your ISOC on this site.

if its reasoned and educational, then it should be a winning argument.

The Lamp — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 - 09:47

[quote=You] The Hiroshima quote from Starship troopers does come to mind as a reason for VIOLENCE having solved more conflicts than anything else[/quote]

Violence in Hiroshima didn't solve much, it started a new conflict between Russia and USA, which led to the emergence of the Taliban Resistence against the Russians, and look where we are now.

MuslimBro — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 - 22:18

[quote=wednesday]Get rid of your ISOC head, and make sure you have a Male AND a Female as a deputy.

Our ISOC have finally got their act together. It became invisible for a few years before I started Uni, but it's spinning now. Masha'Allah.

(And I'm helping in organising an event on 'Spirituality' 😛 )[/quote]
I can't get rid of our amir as they were elected in. And if they need kicking out they have to do something very silly.

Thing is in our uni there are events happening but it's only one person who is doing most of the work.

Ya'qub — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 - 21:26

My fiancee won the vote for ISOC Presidency, but then someone took her quietly to the side and said 'it's really not appropriate for a sister to have that position', so the guy who came secnd was put in charge! :roll:

He then got kicked out of uni... :roll: x2

TPOS — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 - 22:18

[quote=Ya'qub]My fiancee won the vote for ISOC Presidency, but then someone took her quietly to the side and said 'it's really not appropriate for a sister to have that position', so the guy who came secnd was put in charge! :roll:

He then got kicked out of uni... :roll: x2[/quote]

o-my-gosh talk about being sexist!

Ya'qub — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 - 08:24

[quote=MuslimBro]A sister being the president of an Isoc

hmm....[/quote]

You're one of 'them'!

(joking)

Anyway, isn't 'best person for the job' more important than any other factor, as long as correct adhab etc is kept?

(I'm not saying she WAS the best person for the job, but in principal).

Dawud — Mon, 2 Feb 2009 - 13:58

Salaam

In the Defending the BBC thread, I wrote this:

More pictures of suffering increase the distress of the viewer and forces them to act on a sunconscious level to limit that distress. They will take actions to remove themselves from the sympathetic pain and anxiety that such picture evoke. I am not saying that they will be shaking with panic and then force themselves to switch off the TV, the reaction is alot more subtle and they will not even no they are in anxiety except for the mild discomfort they feel. Similarly the reaction will be involuntary, and not conscious.
Point being, the will manifest this involuntary reaction as either anger, denial, distancing from the situation or justification. Maybe all of the above. Only the very strong will be patient and this means to observe the suffering without discomfort but to be distressed for the suffering (how do you pull that off?)

And today whilst I was here I saw this comment which blew me away:

I don't have to watch videos of beaches to realize that life is beautiful. And obviously beauty is not artificial since this is a REAL recording of a beach. Just because people are starving doesn't stop the world from being beautiful. And may I ask the last time that you sat down and just thought about only yourself? Just to get away from reality for a bit and imagine what it would be like if the world was always like this everywhere?

SubhanAllah! I feel that that was beautiful. Are people suffering around the world? Without a doubt! And that's a bad thing and a sad thing but does that mean the world/life is a bad place?

I say no. It's still beautiful, and full of the signs and blessings of Allah. Sure we should make time for those who need us even if we can't physically help them but also whe should make time to just sit down and appreciate the beauty of life. Not for any reason other than it profoundly pleases you.