Dear Editor:
The new chaplain for the Muslim Student Alliance, Brother Tariq Abu Ghazzali brings a new perspective and a wealth of experience for Muslim students at American University. Brother Ghazzali is a practicing cardiologist in the D.C. area. Originally from Syria, the new chaplain came to the U.S. on Sept. 13, 1992, and specifically remembers this day as he "was allowed to live and study in America." Brother Ghazzali has expressed this active and lively outlook in integrating both his professional and religious life into his surrounding culture. While training in primary care at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic, Ghazzali worked with the Muslim Students Association of Case Western University and Cleveland State University. At the University of Missouri, Brother Ghazzali concurrently specialized in cardiology and served as the outreach officer for the Islamic Center of Central Missouri. This position exemplified a core Islamic value called Dawah - in which Muslims inform non Muslims about the ideas of Islam, and Muslims engage and exchange ideas with members of other faiths. Up until 2003, Ghazzali worked in strengthening and resounding the faith for a small group of Muslims in the Islamic Center of Eastern Kentucky. Ghazzali's diverse experience in rural and university settings, as well as being a former outreach officer, makes him very well qualified in becoming the new chaplain for the MSA at American University. Currently, Brother Ghazzali is focused on a project called Objective Thinking. This project integrates examples from the Koran, the thoughts of the Prophet Muhammad, as well as the ideas of Western civilizations and philosophers ranging from the ancient Greeks to Newton. His motivation for this project was mainly what he sees as the "poor status of Muslims in the world today." Brother Ghazzali brings a noticeably different perspective than those in the mass media may portray. He believes the Muslim world is in such a poor status because of its own "subjective, emotional and reactive thinking." Ghazzali expresses hope that one day this project can be used as a professional guide in both the western and Muslim worlds to foster peace and better understanding.
Riayazal Raquib Sophomore, CAS
Dear Editor:
We appreciate the Eagle giving more attention to AU Abroad. We have tripled the number of sites and improved existing programs and are now on campus at Rockwood, where we welcome students to discuss the changes in the program.
With regard to the article and editorial on the South Africa program in your issue of Sept. 20, I regret that David Hodges did not call me, though I left several messages and all my phone numbers with him. I would have liked to have clarified some of the structural changes in the program that the articles did not appear to understand. Let me respond here to just two points.
First, on South Africa, early last week when we received e-mails from some of the students complaining about a lack of "support structure," we engaged in an intensive dialogue with them by phone and through our director, Dr. Caleb Rossiter. They did not provide specific examples, except perhaps a desire to write shorter or no papers, but we felt by the end of the week that most told us their concerns were satisfactorily addressed.
A second, more fundamental issue in your editorial was your assertion that academics shouldn't interfere with the travel and joy of experiencing a foreign culture. On this point, we disagree. The "study" part of study abroad is critical. Travel is enjoyable, but to appreciate fully that experience requires discipline. To acquire the knowledge that will inform your lives and work requires reading and writing. When a student says, "I didn't go abroad to read books and write papers," our answer is: "Yes, you did if you want a serious education." There are many opportunities for independent exploration in each of our programs, but if you want credits to graduate from a university of the quality of American, you will need to study, not just travel, abroad.
You also wrote that AU Abroad suffered from "systemic disorganization." We find that ironic in an issue that published last year's "AU Abroad" advertisement rather than the one that we sent you last week. We appreciate your promise to correct that mistake in this issue and hope that you will also correct the unfortunate impression in your editorial that studying should not be an essential component of AU Abroad.
Sara Dumont Director of AU Abroad
