WE DEMAND.... WE WANT....
They also want bus shuttle services to local mosques to be laid on by the university and are asking for their names to be kept from President-elect Donald Trump if he creates a nationwide Muslim registry
Muslim students at the University of Maryland are asking for prayer rooms to be built in every major campus building as part of a lengthy list of demands to staff.
They also want bus shuttle services to local mosques to be laid on by the university and are asking for their names to be kept from President-elect Donald Trump if he creates a nationwide Muslim registry.
The so-called Muslim registry is fake news as we documented here.
Their requests were among dozens issued by ‘marginalized’ students to the university’s president last month.
In their request for prayer rooms, the students said it was difficult to access the current space provided and often resorted to praying in stairwells as a result.
Another request demands that the university does not include their names in any form of Muslim registry orchestrated by the government.
On Thursday President-elect Trump said he is considering creating such a database more seriously than ever in light of an attack on Berlin’s Christmas market by an Islamic extremist.
More fake news? Why didn’t the Daily Mail link to a video or written statement of Trump’s comment? Can anyone find this quote from Trump on Thursday? We can’t.
Students at the University of Maryland demand to be protected from the register, asking staff: ‘The university has the information about us.
‘It would provide a sense of safety if we knew the university wasn’t the one giving the government that information about us and feeling like our administration is protecting us and willing to do that carries some value,’ philosophy and math junior Sarah Eshera told student newspaper The Diamondback.
They are also asking that staff execute ‘better judgement’ in choosing films to show on campus after an incident in 2015 they refer to as ‘The American Sniper situation’.’
The university’s Muslim Association blocked the Bradley Cooper film from being shown on campus, launching a petition which claimed it encouraged ‘mass murder’, and ‘dehumanized Muslim individuals’.
The film viewing was postponed by Student Entertainment Events staff but the move was considered an affront on the free speech of non-Muslims.
In their most recent request, students said they hoped to avoid repeating the scenario.
The university said it was reviewing the demands on Thursday.
‘We commend the students for their passionate advocacy and for coming together in solidarity on these issues.
‘President Loh has convened a group of his staff to thoroughly review the list of demands and make recommendations accordingly. That process is well underway,’ a spokesman said.
43. Protect the names and religious/ethnic affiliations of students should they be demanded from the government for harmful use.
44. An increase in the number of safe, designated prayer areas on campus.
45. One room in each major building (e.g. SPH, Chemistry, McKeldin etc.) designated for prayer.
46. Shuttle services to the Diyanet Center of America for Muslim students to have access to a place of worship and participate in the many activities that the center hosts.
47. Increased discussions about the diversity of the Muslim community on campus and worldwide.
48. More classes offered pertaining to Islam and the Muslim world taught by Muslim professors, who will counteract the negativity surrounding the name of Islam that is perpetuated by our culture and media.
49. Measures to prevent situations similar to the “American Sniper” situation from happening again.
50. More Zabiha options on the campus meal plan to accommodate Muslims who adhere to those rulings.
51. More counselors who are sensitive to the needs of Muslim students. Ensure that the have the training be sensitive to the nuances in the Muslim community and are from the communities we often come from.
52. The encouragement of equal and positive representation of Pro-Palestinian human rights activists on campus. Specifically, condemning the conflation of Pro-Palestinian activism with racism and Anti-Semitism.
53. The active encouragement of faculty and students to engage in discourse and learning about the Palestinians’ struggles and the Boycott Divest and Sanction movement without fear of consequences by the university administration.
54. Faculty and students have long been targeted for their political stances and their rights to free speech impeded, especially on this issue
55. A full-time Undocumented Student Coordinator to advocate for, advise, represent, and protect undocumented and DACAmented students.
56. A declaration of the University of Maryland, College Park as a sanctuary campus for undocumented and DACAmented students and their families.
57. Ensured protection of student information about immigration status from local, state, and government agencies.
58. A system to ensure reaction and protection from the UMD Administration if an undocumented or DACAmented student faces detention or deportation proceedings.
59. A full-time immigration attorney for the Offices of Undergraduate and Graduate Student Legal Aid.
60. An Undocumented Student Resource Office to provide academic counseling, legal support, mental health counseling, and to guide students to university resources.
61. Mandatory training about undocumented students’ unique experiences and needs in academic settings for all university faculty and staff.
62. A significant expansion of mental health services for all students of color, especially undocumented and DACAmented students.
63. A system to ensure that DACAmented students can continue to receive in-state tuition if their DACA status is cancelled.
64. An opening up of merit scholarships and emergency funds to undocumented and DACAmented students.
No comments:
Post a Comment