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University media is reporting that Omid Safi, often described as
a “leading progressive U.S. Muslim” and Siraj Wahajj, an unindicted
co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing teamed up
to address a Northwestern University Muslim student group. According to a
Daily Northwestern
report,
Safi told the students that America has a “sick soul” and that “the
beauty of faith traditions has been lost in a world dominated by
America”:
January 25, 2013 In the spirit of Monday’s presidential inauguration,
the Muslim-cultural Student Association hosted a discussion about the
importance of civic engagement. Three panelists, including a
Northwestern alumna, spoke about intertwining service with faith. About
80 people attended the two-hour discussion in Harris Hall. ‘As Muslims
and college students, we have the responsibility to contribute to
society,’ McSA Vice President Arshad Haque said. The Weinberg junior
started the event reciting from the Quran, followed by an English
translation from another student. Each panelist spoke for roughly 20
minutes, quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Quran and the Bible to
discuss Americans’ obligation to change their communities and country.
Tamanna Salikuddin (WCAS ‘01), director for Afghanistan and Pakistan at
the National Security Council, started the panel by discussing civil
service, faith and post-graduate life. She said NU students are blessed
with a liberal arts education and should not waste such an opportunity.
‘You can’t talk about civic engagement until you acknowledge all the
blessings we have as Americans,’ she said. ‘Societal obligations are
part of your religious obligations.’ SESP senior Erica Martin said she
appreciated that the message transcended one particular faith. ‘I’m not
Muslim, but they said a lot of things you could take away regardless of
religion,’ she said. All three panelists spoke about students’
obligation to act immediately, instead of waiting for a future career or
better time to change the world through small acts of kindness.
Panelist Omid Safi, a professor at University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, said the beauty of faith traditions has been lost in a
world dominated by America, often at the expense of the poor and
under-served portions of society. America lost sight of its goals once
its citizens elected Barack Obama in 2008, he said, and Monday’s
inauguration was a reminder of the work that remains. Safi later likened
American hegemony to ‘Star Wars,’ as the country faces little
competition from other nations and does not always use its power for
good. ‘America has a soul, and its soul is sick,’ he said. But hope is
not lost as long as students remain active, he added. Panelist Imam
Siraj Wahhaj, leader of the Muslim Alliance in North America, used many
of Safi’s examples to demonstrate America’s brokenness, such as King’s
still-relevant sermons. He urged students to avoid pushing their faith
on others but rather to lead by example. ‘If you want to change the
world, you have to recognize that by nature human beings are imitators,’
Wahhaj said.”
An online
bio details Omid Safi’s background:
Omid Safi is one of the leading Muslim public intellectuals. He is a
Professor of Islamic Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill, specializing in contemporary Islamic thought and classical Islam.
Omid is an award-winning teacher and speaker, and has been nominated for
and received teaching awards at Colgate University, Duke University,
and University of North Carolina. He is the editor of the volume
“Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism.” His last book
was published by HarperCollins, titled “Memories of Muhammad,” and deals
with the biography and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad. He has been
among the most frequently sought speakers on Islam in popular media,
appearing frequently in the New York Times, Newsweek, Washington Post,
PBS, NPR, NBC, CNN and international media. He has recently been
designated as a lead Islam writer for the Religion News and Huffington
Post.
Siraj Wahajj is an American Islamic convert tied to the U.S. Muslim
Brotherhood and an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade
Center bombing. He has held various positions in the Islamic Society of
North America (ISNA), the American Muslim Council, and the Council on
American Islamic Relations (CAIR), all part of the U.S. Muslim
Brotherhood and he is a frequent speaker at U.S. Brotherhood events. A
post from
2008 reported that Wahajj was behind a planned New York subway ad
campaign to explaining the meaning of Islam and sponsored by the Islamic
Circle of North America (ICNA), another part of the U.S. Muslim
Brotherhood. A post from last August reported that Siraj Wahhaj was
scheduled to be the “Grand Imam” for a program to be held at the
upcoming Democratic National Convention.
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