American Muslim

Boycotting GSU

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world" - M.K. Gandhi

Asalaam Alaikum (Peace be with you),

Most of you know that I was set to resume graduate school next month at Georgia State, my alma mater, for an M.Ed./Ed.S. in School Psychology. I have blogged about this in the past and most know of my enthusiasm in getting trained in a new academic area and one where I hoped to contribute a lot, especially with regards to Muslim-American school children.

However, in the last week, my interest in going back to GSU has waned considerably following the public disclosure of a massive discrimination case there against my friend, Slma Shelbayah, who was asked if she was hiding a bomb under her hijab by Prof. Mary Stuckey. I knew about this problem almost a year ago, but Slma swore me to secrecy. Now however, it has become public knowledge and as the local, regional and national news media pick up the story and as people the world over are hearing about this case, I have had to do some serious thinking.

Do I want to support an institution that is blatantly standing by a tenured professor who discriminated against a young woman based on ethnicity and religion? Do I want to be a munafiq (hypocrite) and support a professor who recently wrote a book called "The Rhetoric of Hatred"?Do I want to give GSU my money and say that I support their academic and learning outcomes and objectives, while knowing full well that students like Slma are being discriminated against simply because they wear hijab (head scarf)? Is the situation in GSU not a smaller, albeit less violent, story of the one of the Egyptian woman who was murdered recently in Germany for wearing a hijab and has now become the "headscarf martyr"?

I say no. Please read my letter to GSU President Mark Becker. You can read all the comments from Facebook here.

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July 9th 2009

Dear President Becker,

I had the wonderful opportunity to study at Georgia State from 2003 to 2007. During that time I earned an M.A. in Political Science (Class of 2006) and completed some doctoral work in the same; worked as a DJ and assistant program director at WRAS-Album 88; learned how to teach; and met many wonderful and inspirational teachers. But the biggest lesson I learned at GSU was one of tolerance as I was exposed to an extraordinarily diverse group of people from across the United States and world who all engendered changes in my personality that made me more open to multiculturalism and also more appreciative of multicultural teaching institutions.

Although I teach Political Science now full-time, I decided recently to move in a new career direction in mental health so I applied for and was accepted to GSU’s prestigious Masters program in School Psychology. I accepted their offer of admissions and was all set to start graduate school next month at my alma mater. Well, until I heard about your handling of Slma Shelbayah’s case and the politics of Muslim and Arab discrimination.

I am outraged and appalled by the lack of support you and your administration have given to Slma as she has struggled to maintain her dignity and poise while her character has been attacked by GSU officials. And then to make matters worse, Georgia State has also targeted Dr. Dona Stewart for aiding Slma. I cannot believe that Dr. Mary Stuckey, an international expert on presidential rhetoric – and one of my first GSU professors - would be guilty of such blatant pseudo-liberalism by advocating on one side for liberal ideals and equality and on the other, abusing and discriminating against an Arab-American graduate student. In Arabic, we use the term “munafiq” to describe a hypocrite and that is just what Dr. Stuckey has become.

Therefore, I have decided to refuse to attend Georgia State University for future graduate studies while your administration continues to mollycoddle and support Dr. Stuckey at the school. I am taking a stand alongside other GSU alumni like my friend Zaynab Ansari who recently wrote to you about the same subject and who is feeling ambivalent herself about returning to GSU for grad school next year. I am taking a stand with Slma Shelbayah to let you know that as GSU alumni, we expected more from our alma mater, and that you have let us all down. I am already starting to hear about Muslim students hesitating about attending GSU and I fear, Dr. Becker, that this small ripple will become a wave of discontent from Muslims and everyone else who value their civil liberties.

I would like to hear from you about this matter and what you and your administration plan to do to ameliorate GSU’s new image as an institution unsupportive of religious and ethnic minorities on campus. I know that is a strong statement to make, but what other conclusion can be drawn after observing how your administration has stood by and supported a hateful educator?

Respectfully,



Shyam K. Sriram, M.A.
(Purdue ’02, Georgia State ’06)