PROCEEDINGS OF THE STUDENTS EXCHANGE PROGRAM IN NAIROBI. UNITY OF MUSLIM STUDENTS IN THE REGION “Uganda a case Study” Presented by NAZIRU RASHID FROM UGANDA MAKERERE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT MSAU AT the students exchange program in Nairobi Kenya on the 19th January 2013 Introduction And hold fast, all of you together, to the cable of Allah, and do not separate….[Al-‘Imran 3:103] Lo! Allah loveth those who battle for His cause in ranks, as if they were a solid structure. [Al-Saff 61:4] Unity is the Muslim way of life The spirit of unity is rooted to the Islamic way of life. The five pillars of Islam motivated and raise the entire ummah, individually as well as collectively, so that they can fulfill the will of Allah. Shahadah The declaration of the unique and dynamic faith unites all the Muslims from all over world on a common platform. Every Muslim irrespective of the race color, and language enters the house of Islam with the same right and authority of this testimony of faith. By rejecting all gods and accepting Muhammad (PBUH) as our guide. We Muslims ever become united as a divine community. This testimony is assertive and natured by urge to invite more and more human beings to the world of the truth. Swalat Prayer behind an imam (leader) is a symbol of unity which if followed in the social and political life united the ummah to a common purpose. The purpose of obligatory prayer in a congregation is to prepare individual Muslim to think and act collectively so that the feeling of Islamic unity is ingrained in their hearts and minds. Friday prayer is the community prayer where Muslims from a locality get a chance of meeting each other. This facilitates the development of unity and corporation among them. Saum Fasting the month of Ramadan is the most effective tarubiyah (training program) It creates taqwah and develops compassion for the poor. Through this practice of self control, Muslims raise above the carnal desires and unitedly create a spiritualistic environment with their society. The special prayers on the two Eid remind the ummah of their collective entity. Zakat This purifies the heart of the rich and creates fellow sympathy among the Muslims. The economic unity and prosperity of the ummah in fact is based on zakat which provides the opportunity of sharing excess wealth of one segment of the ummah with the less fortunate section. Hajj This is the annual world assembly of the Muslims. It is a vivid manifestation of Islamic unity in its objective as well as practice. It is a unique and parallel led collective action Allah has so kindly granted to the Muslims. In this life time journey a believer is sub merged in the ocean of believers and identifies himself as an indispensible unit within the coherent body of the ummah. The dress, attitude, purpose, emotional feelings during the hajj everything demonstrates the symbol of homogeneity and oneness. The barriers of language race and color disappear within the bondage of faith and brotherhood. Jihad This tends to establish Ma’aruf and remove the Munkar from life and society. Is associated with Jama’at and is inconceivable without unity and discipline. The five pillars of Islam prepare Muslims for a collective jihad. Whereas Islam emphasis unity basing on the various teachings of the Quranic, the traditions of our prophet (PBUH) and the lives of traditional caliphates, Muslims today, are unfortunately characterized by disunity at the local, national and international level. This is due to internal and external forces that are hindering the progress of Islam in and outside the region. Definition of key terms; Unity; is a quality or a state of being consisting of one. Website dictionary Islamic unity; the word Islam is synonymous with peace and unity thus is the mutual cooperation between two or more Muslims. Muslim student; a seeker of knowledge who affirms resignation to the will of Allah One who believes and follows the absolute and only truth; ISLAM! Has made commitment to abide by Allah’s will; is ready to sacrifice for its defense and propagation. X-tics of Students at higher institutions; Brilliant Young Strong Enthusiastic Energetic Thinkers Researchers Trained Region (East Africa); geographical boundary that includes; Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi Justification for Unity Muslims in East Africa exist in many sects like in Uganda the Uganda supreme council, the Kibuli leadership, the Salaf, the Tablighs among others have divided the Muslim community at all levels to the extent that even some Muslim students’ have identified themselves with such divisions. Thus, the most important and heart-felt requirement of the Ummah today is the need for unity – the unity of the mind and action as well as the unity of the hearts and emotional feelings among its members. As Muslim students, our unifying factor is Islam in all aspects like social, academic and spiritual developments. Muslim students in Uganda have done a lot in uniting themselves under the umbrella of Islam at all levels i.e. institutional and national level through establishing Associations. Activities done by Muslim students at all levels in Uganda a) Institutional level; this starts from secondary to Institutions of higher learning. Muslim students form MSAs such as MUMSA, MUBSMSA, KYUMSA and others to unite them in their respective institutions and carry out Dawah and other developmental activities. These activities include; 1. Mobilization of Muslim Students in the school/institution for Dawah 2. Organizing elections and ensure effective leadership 3. Safeguard rights of Muslim Students in the school/institution 4. Organize for Muslim students to have a place for prayer and keep it tidy. 5. Ensure that Muslim students perform daily prayers at school/institution. 6. Organize for fasting of Muslim students in Ramadan 7. Ensure girl students are given their right to practice Islam and others b) National level; at this level, Muslim students in Uganda are under the umbrella of MSAU (Muslim Students Association of Uganda. MSAU as an umbrella body works through the regional executive council and district councils to serve its members effectively and it carries out the following activities; 1. Pioneer formation of Regional Executive Councils (REC) in each of the five regions within Uganda and monitor their functioning. 2. The NEC monitor Regional and District Executive Councils which in turn oversee MSAU programmes, activities and progress of all Muslim Students Associations in all schools / institutions in the country. 3. Carry out nationwide caravans, seminars and convention 4. Carry out sensitization visits to academic institutions, schools, hospitals, prisons and mosques countrywide. 5. Carry out leadership training as well as students work camps. 6. Partner with other organizations in organizing Dawah programmes. 7. Liaise for support and protection of Muslim students interests. 8. Lobby for scholarship assistance for Muslim students. Challenges at the institutional and national level 1. Lack of leadership training 2. Working without a work plan 3. Lack of sufficient funds and poor fundraising strategies 4. Incompetent leaders 5. Non performing office bearers 6. Members are often distant from each other 7. Poor Patron ship; less guidance given 8. Members’ inferiority complex and identity crisis 9. Disunity in the Muslim community Way Forward Towards Unity of Muslim students’ in the region My dear brethren, unity are a gift from Allah. The eligibility of early Muslims to gain this favor is a blissful event in the human history. With His immense mercy, Allah acted to bridge the hearts of once hostile people and remember Allahs favor onto you how you were enemies and He made friendship between your hearts so that you became brothers by His grace and how you were by the brink of fire and He did save you from it. Thus Allah makes clear His revelations that happily you may be Guided-Al Imran (3:303). But what about we Muslim students in East Africa who appreciate that the Prophet (PBUH) the magnitude of unity by stating that “ a believe is related to another as parts of a structure one part of which strengthens the other ” this should be mutual relationship with in the Muslim Ummah. As unity among the Muslim students in Uganda is working better from the institutional to the national level to a larger extent, I believe that we can transform up to the regional level (East Africa) through the following strategies; a) At The Individual Level (Q41:33) 1. Proper Understanding and practicing of Islam from the right sources 2. Appreciating the concept of leadership at all levels 3. Focus on development projects; like UMYA established by former students in MUMSA and it runs projects like schools, hospitals and others b) At a MSA level 1. Appreciate the value of collective work 2. Formation and or strengthening of inter and intra MSAs 3. Set clear vision, mission, objectives and activities to involve members 4. Collaborate with the already existing bodies or organizations in execution of activities like Muslim NGOs (UMMAH Foundation, 3Z Foundation, WAMY, AMA, MUNAZZAMAT and etc) and other international humanitarian organizations like the American Embassy in Uganda etc to provide financial support. 5. Science and technology i.e. develop websites, data bases and updating them for purposes of effective communication and coordination of members. 6. Organize comprehensive Dawah programs like inter and intra Juma program, Dawah caravans, conventions among others to involve members 7. Coordination and mutual assistance: Internal resource mobile to fund the above programs, For example MUBS. 8. Accountability and transparency. 9. Muttaqi (God fearing) leadership. 10. Shuurah (consultation) Conclusion In East Africa, Muslim students’ in around 2005-2007 established the East African Muslim students’ federation (Uniting all Muslim at all levels of education in east Africa i.e. primary –institutions of higher learning)but the contribution of the federation to its members has no progress. This can be attributed to the following; 1. Lack of proper leadership due to inappropriate method of electing leaders 2. Absence of a secretariat to coordinate activities of the federation 3. Ignorance of its stake holders about the functionality of the federation 4. Lack of proper activities to involve members and others Therefore let us massively mobilize members from the whole region to participle in and contribute to the success of our association at all levels. Acronyms MUMSA Makerere University Muslim Students’ Association MSA Muslim Students’ Association AMA African Muslim Agency UMYA Uganda Muslim Youth Assembly WAMY World Assembly of Muslim Youth
Posted on: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 22:16:40 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015