But, the beauty of the show, the genius if you will, is that it is probably the most comprehensive document of American life - like a Library of Congress on the radio. There is one particular episode that I heard recently that really made me think and it was about the role of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at a college in Illinois. The episode was titled "The Devil in Me" and originally aired on September 5th 2008. The particular "Act" that moved me was Lisa Pollak's story of Sam Slaven, an Iraqi war veteran (and magician - check out his website). This is not the first time TAL has tackled Muslim identity in America. Another brilliant episode is "Shouting Across the Divide" (2006).
The first part of Slaven's story is not unusual - boy grows up in America, goes to college (in this case Purdue, woohoo!), but realizes it's not for him so he joins the military. He enlists in the Army and is sent to Iraq. While there, his innocence is shattered and he becomes violently anti-Arab and anti-Muslim. Upon returning to the U.S., his PTSD haunts him to the point that he retires from the Army (honorably) and tries to figure out how to mend his life.
So far, this is a story we have heard and seen over and over again in the last several years. He goes back to school - in this case, Parkland College in Champaign, IL - and immediately realizes that he's in "trouble" because there are Muslims everywhere. I use quotes because he recounts in this story that just seeing an Arab or someone in a beard made him [Slaven] violent and confused.
But, what he does next is extraordinary. He does something that no one expected him to do or asked him to do; something that Americans should do, but really don't. He fights his stereotypes head on and he joins the Muslim Student Association. And slowly, but surely, the Muslim students - some who thought he was a spy - take to him and he takes to them. And then he becomes friends with them. And slowly the stereotypes about Islam are diminished.
I have been involved with many different MSAs for the last three years and some have been stronger and better than others. But, this story really warmed my heart for the simple reason that it showed how a strong MSA - with secure ideals and visions and open-minded members - can ameliorate the community around it and can educate people about this beautiful religion of Islam. Slaven had a big part to play in his story, arguably the biggest part, because he chose to confront his fears head on and he went to that first MSA meeting without even being invited. So, I commend him and would love to meet him someday.
But, to those that believe MSAs are purely social, they are not and more importantly, they have a crucial role to play on American college campuses. They are the base organizations for major events and groups that I have been involved with like Ramadan Fast-A-Thon and Project Downtown. They are, for many students, faculty and staff, the only source of positive information about Islam. MSAs have - and can - been run into the ground and used as matrimonial venues or places for easy gender mixing. But this story on "This American Life" really inspired me to believe that the humble MSA we have at Georgia Perimeter College can attain a great place in this community by opening the club doors to other people.
May Allah SWT continue to put His baraka (abundance) into our work and make us among the most righteous.
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