VP Student Affairs Blog - July 2009

Assalamualaykum warahmatullah, and Hello All!

My name is Nabil and I graduated last year from the University of Manchester in Management with International Studies BSc.  I was re-elected to the position of FOSIS Vice-President Student Affairs at the Summer National Council, and I've been fortunate to be involved over the past few years in my Islamic Society, the NUS, my Students Union and FOSIS.  The FOSIS Student Affairs Committee takes up the task of empowering Muslim students towards a culture of political participation; our work last year included grassroots workshops, domestic campaigns, representing the interests of Muslim students to bodies that include the government, supporting Muslim student welfare issues and  research too.

Who are we? The FOSIS Student Affairs Committee (SAC) includes diverse Muslim students around the UK and Ireland who continue to excel at the grassroots and national level in the political arena - within the Committee we have grassroots campaigners, SU Exec Officers, ISOC leaders, student writers and so forth.  We evolved as a team last year, to an element mature and experienced ready to collectively lead.  And now we are delighted to be joined by thirteen new members, eager to further the work of this Committee.

So where are we? We know Muslim students have an awesome contribution to make to University life.  We know Islamic Societies are amongst the most active student societies that exist.  We also know Spying on Muslim students has taken place on campus by security services. The European Elections demonstrated the rise of the BNP.  We understand that more Muslim students are going to University – but also we fear for unresolved accessibility issues to Higher Education.  We know that Freedom of Expression has been hit on some campuses.  Then there are questions too, to be answered; what are the values that Muslim students should embody and elevate on campus?  How do we actualise our role in tackling social injustices and international agony in the midst of political debate that is out of touch?  How can we help create a safe and equal space for all students on campus?  This is just the bubbly foam of questions/issues that exist that need to be answered.  We will be drawing up our SAC Strategy collectively soon with such questions in mind, and ahead of that we would love to hear your thoughts.  After that Strategy is in place, off we go!

Between the start of this year and now, we have been focusing on aligning our regional operation with other Committees in FOSIS, and we will be doing some focal work surrounding prayer rooms and Higher Education Accessibility, and examining issues of Freedom of Expression.  The Muslim Student Survey II, with our stakeholders in BIS and the NUS, has progressed since my last time of writing.

We were kindly invited to attend and address the EC European Network of Experts on Radicalisation Conference in Brussels, where Faisal Hanjra the FOSIS President represented the organisation.  We forged closer links with academics and experts at the Conference, and it provided an extremely valuable insight to understand a European-perspective on the extremism-discourse.  We were also kindly invited to speak at the Police Association of Higher Education Liaison Officers Conference, which I attended, and it was valuable to speak with Officers on issues including student-safety and dealing with politically-charged events on campus.

FOSIS holds a principled allegiance with diverse Muslim students at the grassroots, around the UK and Ireland. The progression and direction of this organisation is led by you, and will be maintained by ensuring that the doors to this organisation remain open and that we keep listening.  If you want to get more involved with the FOSIS Student Affairs Committee, or if you have views on work that we should be doing then let us know - email studentaffairs@fosis.org.uk.

Finally, nothing will happen without the will of Allah 'azza wa jall, for it is He who has everything in His care. Our need of our Sustainer is incessant. Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, reminds us: “Those who think they can achieve their aims without work are dreaming, and those who think they will attain the goals through exertion alone are over-confident and consider themselves self-sufficient”.

Onwards and upwards.

Yours
Nabil
FOSIS Vice-President Student Affairs