The Case for Special Fees
Greetings!
Our names are Omar Shakir, president of the Muslim
Student Awareness Network (MSAN), Mohammed Subeh,
vice-president of MSAN, and Anissa Kanoun, treasurer of
MSAN. We are writing to you with regards to your fall
quarter special fees refund from MSAN. Through this e-mail,
we seek to give you an idea of how MSAN contributes to
campus and community life in hopes that you will consider
funding our organization in the coming quarters.
The Muslim Student Awareness Network is a student
organization dedicated to promoting awareness about Islam
and issues that pertain to Muslims domestically and
globally. Through speaker events, cultural dinners, film
screenings, and dorm talks, MSAN fosters dialogue on
important issues, including (but not limited to) Islamic
culture, women in Islam, jihad, civil rights for Muslims in
America, and crises in Sudan, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan,
and many other nations. Islam is often a misunderstood
faith and we aim to help students and faculty gain a better
understanding of Islam.
MSAN is the
only organization
that strives to shed light on these issues,
and
we use your quarterly contribution of $0.85 for the sole
purpose of serving you and the Stanford
community! Some
of the events we have held in previous years include:
•
‘Women
in Islam’ by Professor Asma Barlas, author of the
book Unreading
Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qu’ran
•
‘Islam
in America’ by renowned Muslim Scholar Hamza
Yousef
•
Essam Al-Arian of the "Muslim Brotherhood" Islamist movement in Egypt.
•
Ramadan
‘Fastathon’, a regular benefit dinner supporting relief for major disasters
•
The acclaimed "Allah Made Me Funny" Comedy Tour
•
Hans von
Sponeck, former assistant secretary general of the U.N., on
the situation in Iraq
•
“Palestine:
A Challenge to Humanity” by Mustafa Barghouti,
candidate for president in Palestine
•
Frances
Deng, former foreign minister of Sudan, on the prospects
for peace in Sudan
•
Ibdaa! Middle East Dance Troupe Performance
For the Winter Quarter, MSAN will host many more exciting
events, including:
•
Kashmir
Earthquake Disaster Relief Donation Drive
•
Annual
Islam Awareness Month, focusing on Global Challenges such
as Racism, Poverty and the Environment. Featuring weekly cultural dinners and lectures.
•
The
"Chasing Liberty" Series during Black History Month,
focusing on civil liberties issues and Malcolm X's struggle
(cosponsored by Black Student Union)
• Hispanoles Musulmanes - a panel discussing the unique experiences of Latino Muslims in America.
• Professor of Journalism at UT, Austin, Robert Jensen, discusses media inadequacy and possile solutions
•
Lawrence Pintak lectures on "America, Islam and the War of Ideas."
As you
can see, your $0.85 contribution goes a long way! MSAN
serves no particular community on campus- every cent you
give us goes directly back to you in the form of
events. At this unique time in history where a
growing rift has emerged between ‘the West’ and
‘the Muslim World’, MSAN’s role on campus
in promoting cross-culture dialogue and understanding is as
important as ever. We invite you to communicate with us to
address any questions or concerns you have by simply
e-mailing the three of us at msan-officers@lists.stanford.edu.
To learn more about our events, subscribe to our
low-traffic e-mail announce list. You can do so simply by
sending an e-mail to majordomo@lists.stanford.edu
with the
subject “subscribe msan-announce"
Thanks again, and we hope to see you at our future events.
Sincerely,
Omar Shakir, Mohammed Subeh and Anissa Kanoun