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"Muslims playing for power," by Sarah Boesveld in The Eyeopener, the Ryerson University student paper (thanks to Patrick). Ryerson is in Toronto.
As the largest student group on campus, the Muslim Students' Association has made its presence known in student politics. Former MSA vice-president Muhammad Ali Jabbar is heading up the RSU, thanks to support from the MSA. The group has monopolized use of the multifaith room, putting the true meaning of the room's name in jeopardy.Through its renewed fight against Islamophobia, the MSA has also been criticized as being increasingly polarized and turning the RSU's attention mostly toward Muslim issues. Smaller religious groups with less influence have been left wondering when their needs will be addressed.
A variety of religious groups on campus have said they have felt uncomfortable trying to use the multifaith room.
Eric Da Silva, president of the Catholic Student Association, says the group looked into using the room for mass but was told by RSU front desk staff that the room was "permanently booked"; by Muslim students.
"No one is trying to take away the space from the Muslims, we just don't want to be stepping on their toes," says Da Silva. He stresses that the group found another space to hold mass and the conflict was quickly resolved. Da Silva acknowledges that Muslims have a stricter prayer schedule than Catholics, but he challenges whether the room should be called a multifaith one. The space, which is divided to separate males from females, has rows taped on the floor for prayer and Islamic decorations adorning the walls, is only accommodating to Muslims.
"I don't think the university should be calling it a multifaith room. If we went in there and decorated the room with rosary and crosses, other students would feel uncomfortable praying there," he says.
The Ismaili Student's Association, a smaller Muslim student group that practices the Shiite Muslim religion, has experienced conflicting schedules with the MSA for prayer space during the month of Ramadan. On a regular basis, the smaller group uses the multi-faith room for prayer between 6 and 7 p.m. During Ramadan, when Muslims break their fast at sunset, the Ismaili students, who practice a separate form of prayer were resigned to finding somewhere else to pray.
"We were pretty much in a different room every night for a month," says a member of the group who wished not to be named. "It can be frustrating at times, but you kind of have to make the best of the situation," she says of having to move so the MSA can use the room.
Read it all.
Posted by Robert at November 27, 2006 7:04 AM
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Assalamau Laikum all,
Da Silva says " his group found another space to hold mass and the conflict was quickly resolved".
He and other catholics quickly realised their mistake....it was a spelling error.....
not multifaith room...but Mufti room.
Phew! ....all clear now...thanks for understanding.
Posted by: Naseem![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/nav-commenters.gif)
at November 27, 2006 8:18 AM
Where are the Jewish students when you need them? They should walk in there and start praying. Where are the Hindus when you need them? Where are the Buddhists when you need them? Where are all these other faiths in Toronto, "world's most multicultural city"? Unlike the Christians, they could walk in there with political immunity. Yet, they don't use it. They benefit from their non-white, non-Christian status, often to get into institutes of higher learning like Ryerson, but won't use that same status as a tool to preserve them. I have always had a problem with third world immigration for that reason. They take from the Canadian system, but they won't defend it or give back to it.
If they are not going to help keep Toronto multicultural, if they are not going to help preserve our free society, if they are not going to help fight da'wa, they should get the hell out and go back to the despotic hellholes from which they came. Because if islam dominates, and it is trying to, Canada will become the very thing they fled. Political correctness keeps Christians from complaining about this type of aggression at Ryerson. What excuse, however, do all the non-Christians at Ryerson have for keeping silent?
On a related note, why is it that only muslims are aggressive? Doesn't anybody else have pride? Isn't any other creed imbued with a sense of right and wrong? Doesn't anybody else get angry in groups larger than 1?
If muslims are the only creed that have those qualities, Darwin would predict, quite rightly so, that they will dominate the ecosystem. It is natural selection at the highest level. The one way that islam can dominate the world, is through natural selection. And it seems that Darwin's dynamic is working. While being a minority numerically, muslims have the influence of a majority by virtue of their creed's aggressive traits.
No group challenges them. Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, liberals, conservatives, no one. Muslims act as a group, but are not challenged as a group. The only ones challenging muslims are individuals. But individuals won't cut it. Only a creed can challenge another creed. And on planet earth today, no creed is challenging imperial islam.
Posted by: August22
at November 27, 2006 8:26 AM
august22 wrote "No group challenges them. Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, liberals, conservatives, no one"
Welcome to the world of living with muslims. the peaceful muslims, the tolerant muslims, the freedom loving muslims. too bad all these apply only to their own sect of islam and than only to male muslims.
Who indeed will bell the cat? Who will dare to say or do one thing that will upset the MSA? who wants to make muslims angry? have you noticed the angry upset muslims yet? Muslims who will not think twice before fighting and dying for allah and paradise? Just take a look at the examples of the muslims in other countries and regions. You won't have to look hard.
at November 27, 2006 8:38 AM
"'No one is trying to take away the space from the Muslims, we just don’t want to be stepping on their toes,' says Da Silva. He stresses that the group found another space to hold mass and the conflict was quickly resolved. Da Silva acknowledges that Muslims have a stricter prayer schedule than Catholics, but he challenges whether the room should be called a multifaith one. The space, which is divided to separate males from females, has rows taped on the floor for prayer and Islamic decorations adorning the walls, is only accommodating to Muslims.
'I don’t think the university should be calling it a multifaith room. If we went in there and decorated the room with rosary and crosses, other students would feel uncomfortable praying there,'he says."
As if any other denomination operating within a secularized environment (Ryerson U is named after an Anglican bishop as I recall)would presume to usurp control of premises meant for common use to the extent that the MSA has.
As for accommodating the "strictness" of the Islamic prayer schedule, the "five times a day", let them fund their own institutions to accommodate their needs. Orthodox Christian and Jewish sects also require a lot of their followers, but they don't demand the degree of accommodation that the Salafists do; they provide their own.
Posted by: waterdragon52 at November 27, 2006 8:40 AM
Nassem:
As always it's someone else who has to compromise and resolve a problem that the Moslems created in the first place. The university administration should annul the 'permanent booking' and then compel the MSA to find other accomodations within or outside the university.
xavier
at November 27, 2006 8:45 AM
Americaningermany,
Well said! Now that the Catholic students have found another place to pray, let's see how long it takes for the muslims to claim that space, too.
Posted by: Howard, Fine & Howard at November 27, 2006 8:52 AM
Islam is the root, terrorism, oppression is the fruit.
Posted by: bigcatgirl13106 at November 27, 2006 9:06 AM
Where are the parents and alumni? I'm sure the university is getting a lot of money for the kids to attend.
Parents should tell the school to straighten out this mess or they'll pull their children and their money out.
Posted by: freewoman at November 27, 2006 9:06 AM
"...why is it that only muslims are aggressive?"
August22 - Good question. Being aggressive is different from being assertive. I'd much rather have other faiths be assertive by standing up for their rights without becoming bullies.
Posted by: Josephine at November 27, 2006 9:50 AM
Islam is like an oil slick in the ocean, ever expanding and destroying all life with its dark black ooze.
Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at November 27, 2006 11:07 AM
We all know about the Dhimmitude on Western Campuses, this is yesterdays news, what would be current would be some effective action to change it.
Posted by: NicephorusPhocas at November 27, 2006 2:00 PM
Imagine spending thousands of dollars per year to educate your children at a top university and discover them being subjected to treatment like that! Holy G*d!!!!
That is a RIP OFF!!!!!!!!
The parents of those students should get their money back!!!!
Posted by: pythagoras at November 27, 2006 2:57 PM
is not surprising that Muslims would pull this at a university as the Koran says all religion must be for allah and to let another group used a makeshift mosque i imagine to be sacrilegious to them Islam has always had a problem with wind and be the only religion that is permitted just look how they treat other faiths in the Middle East and universities traditionally have a being places where you will find radical thought and belife the room is called a multi-faith room and can be treated as such or example the church I attend is not have a building of its own so they use the rec center and turn it into a church building a Sunday and return it to its normal use at the end of service. for this a Muslim groupto convert a multifaith room into a mosqueis not right and they need to be told so without being called a racist or Islamphobic. For one thing is Islam is a religion and not a race.
Posted by: islamakapigeaters at November 27, 2006 4:16 PM
Seriously, Is anyone surprised? This is probably happening in almost every major university.
I'm sure the ACLU will be all over this when it hits the US.
Posted by: CrazyFool at November 27, 2006 5:27 PM
Make the Moslem Student Association pay rent at fair market rates. If the MSA can't play nice, then at least make them pay nice.
Posted by: Chatillon at November 27, 2006 5:45 PM
I am a U of T student but I have been to Ryerson for a summer course. Its where famous sf writer Robert Sawyer graduated from. That aside. Ryerson tries very very HARD to be taken seriously as a real university (it only acheived that status fairly recently) so Im not surprised if they become increasingly PC !
Posted by: THE ALLIES SHALL WIN at November 27, 2006 6:56 PM
The non-Muslim students seem to be reacting in a very feeble manner: there must be all kinds of protests thst they could stage, about this Mufti high-handedness. I thought studentss were good at that sort of thing.
Posted by: wallyUK at November 27, 2006 7:19 PM
All they need to do is put up Roman numerals I-XII along the walls.
Posted by: Hulegu Khan at November 27, 2006 7:44 PM
Hulegu Khan I agree. I'm amazed the Muslims deign to use a room labeled "Multi-Faith" - doesn't that fly in the face of Islamist supremacy to recognize the legitimacy of other faiths?
Posted by: Daisytoo at November 27, 2006 10:37 PM
Just did some quick look up on Ryerson. It has a student body of 21,000 fulltime students. 1,200 Muslims control the Multi Faith prayer room. Makes you wonder dosen't it.
Also in the article it talks about an election where the MSA backed one member and tried to get all muslims to vote for that member. Of course the Muslim backed runner won.
Time to move out of this city to a nice quiet small town.
at November 28, 2006 2:25 AM
I occasionally drive a cab in Melbourne, Australia. At the airport we have a
"multifaith" prayer room provided at the taxi rank. No guesses how multi the prayer room is.
In all fairness, in Australia, about the only job uneducated Muslims can get is driving a cab. It's a job that requires little imagination, little language skills, there's no need to interact with the broader community. Perfect. Willing to bet that this follows a similar pattern throughout the Western world.
I'm looking out over the airport rank the other day and there's this old Somali dude surrounded by a group of his accolytes, and they're talking heavy politics. I don't understand the Somali language, but every now and then I pick up the expression that he's repeating to them - with genuine incredulity - 'Islamo fascists'. Disbelief that their faith and culture should be characterised this way by people in the media.
So here are people who have flocked to Australia as political refugees, fleeing their own murderous and anarchic impoverished culture. Yet without for a second questioning the causes for them being there. They sponge off our welfare system, they have vast families, all paid for with our taxes. Life has never been sweeter, and as their numbers abound on our largesse it can only get better.
Posted by: melbourneman
at November 28, 2006 5:35 AM
The cancer spreads...
Posted by: jsla at November 28, 2006 1:39 PM
The report says that there have been some conflicts over the use of the room between Shiite and Sunni Muslims on campus. Perhaps they should just get them all in the room together, lock the doors, and let them duke it out, sort of a little mini-Iraq in the middle of staid Toronto. Then have those who survive all arrested, jailed, and/or deported. Then seal it off and establish another space that is truly a multi-faith room, to which members of all faiths, including moderate Muslims - if there are any on that campus - are welcome.
Just a little fantasy.
Posted by: angloirishslav at November 28, 2006 11:57 PM
Islam:
Making other people uncomfortable for 1400 years.
Posted by: Isabellathecrusader at November 29, 2006 6:43 AM
Ryerson is the same university that defended a professor of media relations for his paedophilic writings back in the 80s/90s.
I do agree that Ryerson struggles to be taken seriously. As it ought. To struggle, that is.
Geoff
Posted by: Geoff at November 30, 2006 1:31 AM
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