Upcoming Events

Muslim Scholar and Entrepreneur Award 2008

 

Islamic Awareness Series 2008

In light of the disturbing events taking place throughout the Muslim world, the goal of this 4-part series is to create a dialogue that critically and honestly confronts important contemporary issues in the Muslim world. The series will focus on the struggle, literally the jihad, to define and understand Islam in a way that is true to its essence yet faces up to modern challenges and is compatible with contemporary realities.

To read an op-ed concerning the aim of the series, please click here.

Towards Coexistence: Wrestling Islam from Intolerance
Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl
Thursday January 31, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Cubberley Auditorium
Dr. Abou El-Fadl, a professor of law at UCLA, will discuss the current trend in the Muslim world towards an extremely exclusive and disturbingly narrow vision of Islamic theology and law. In discussing the notion and nature of revealed Truth, Abou El Fadl will attempt to show how the Muslim community of faith can understand such revealed Truths in a way that is true to the Islamic texts yet compatible with principles of coexistence, pluralism, and human equality. Dr. Abou El Fadl offers a theological perspective that attempts to transcend narrow views of religious doctrine and reconcile seemingly contradictory principles.

Dying for God? Suicide Terrorism and Militant Islam
Dr. John Esposito
Thursday February 7, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Cubberley Auditorium
 Dr. Esposito, a professor at Georgetown University and the founder of The Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, will address the pressing issue of the rise of Muslim terrorism around the world. Dr. Esposito will be addressing the historical roots of modern Islamic terrorism and the implications behind this relatively new phenomenon. The lecture will highlight key theological, sociological, and political insights regarding the rise in radical Islam and will address key considerations that both Muslim societies and Western governments must make in tackling this dangerous phenomenon.

Laying Down the Shari'ah Law: Democracy or Theocracy?
Dr. Sherman Jackson
Sunday February 10, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Kresge Auditorium
 Dr. Sherman Jackson, professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Michigan, will discuss whether Shari'ah (the Islamic legal system and code of conduct and religious practice), is compatible at all with Western values such as pluralism, democracy, secularism, and human rights. As the Muslim world sees an increasing rise in Islamic activism and fidelity to Islamic scripture, a critical assessment of the theoretical and practical implications of such fidelity is of paramount importance. This discourse concerning the basics, significance, and role of Islamic legal theory, and its relation to the values of modernity, is one that can no longer be ignored.

Confronting Patriarchy in Muslim Societies
Dr. Hina Azam
Sunday February 24, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Cubberley Auditorium
 Dr. Hina Azam, Assistant Professor at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies UT Austin, will address the challenges to equality and dignity that Muslim women face today in Muslim communities around the world. As we continue to witness the repression and oppression of women, specifically in Muslim societies, it is of the utmost importance to trace the religious, cultural, and historical roots of such oppression and challenge the attitudes and beliefs that give rise to such oppression. Dr. Hina Azam will engage in such a discussion and hopefully provide a framework by which we can move forward, without giving in to the often- hegemonic and culturally imperialistic notions of Western feminism.

Questions? Contact fhassan@

Recorded Talks

Audio files of past events are now available here.

The Campaign for a Muslim Cultural Community Center:
Stanford's Muslim Community and other concerned members of the Stanford Community have drafted a proposal for the Stanford Administration, advocating the setup of a Muslim Cultural Center on campus. It would provide a social, safe space for cross cultural interaction, academic and organizational support for issues and activities related to the Muslim world, and much more. We need to show the community is behind us - please read the proposal here and sign the petition here.

Get Involved
MSAN will be holding its first General Body Meeting within the first week of Fall quarter (date TBA). Please come to the meeting if interested in becoming involved! There are many ways to get involved in MSAN! Help organize an event, panel or dicussion. Click on the 'Events' tab to learn about upcoming events sponsored or co-sponsored by MSAN. If you wish to learn more, subscribe to MSAN's mailing list by e-mailing majordomo@lists.stanford.edu, and typing "subscribe" followed by "MSAN-announce." And of course, attend at least one of our events every quarter!

Mission Statement
MSAN is a non-religious, cultural student organization dedicated to:
1) Promoting and fostering cross cultural dialogue and interaction on issues that pertain to Muslims domestically and globally
2) Promote awareness of the Islamic faith and culture within the Stanford community and celebrate its diversity

  Our primary goal is to promote awareness on issues affecting Muslims and the Muslim world. In today's world, marked by a growing rift between 'the West' and 'the Muslim World,' MSAN's role on campus is to promote cross-cultural dialogue. MSAN is unique in that it is the only student organization on campus striving to shed light on common misunderstandings about crucial topics such as (but not limited to) Islamic culture, women in Islam, jihad, civil rights for Muslims in America, and crises in Muslim nations such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Sudan, among many other nations.

Our second objective is to help Stanford students understand the foundations of the Islamic faith, and also celebrate Islamic culture in its many forms. Islam is often a misunderstood and stereotyped faith, despite its breathtaking diversity, and we aim to help students and faculty gain a better understanding of Islam -through lecture series, dorm talks facilitated by Muslim students around campus, multi-faith panels, and cultural dinners in celebration of Islamic practices such as Ramadan.

Muslims live in every corner of the world - from Egypt, Tanzania, India and Indonesia to name a few nations. We want to promote awareness of Muslim societies across the spectrum, and we are one of the few student groups who's focus is truly global.

What We Do

 In order to achieve its goals, MSAN organizes panel discussions, informative lectures, cultural displays/shows, cultural bazaars, dorm-talks, and our annual Islam Awareness Month program. We strive to work with our community partners - academic departments and student groups - to solidify our presence and outreach.

If you wish to get involved in one of MSAN's many current projects, contact a member of the MSAN staff or show up to a meeting. We love visitors!

What You Can Do

Find out about our events. Subscribe to MSAN's mailing lists by e-mailing msan-announce-join@lists.stanford.edu. And of course, attend at least one of our events a quarter!