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Related: About this forumUT Dallas is Home to America's First Muslim Fraternity
Alif Laam Meem -- or, for those who prefer fraternities to go by a Greek acronym, Alpha Lambda Mu -- first blipped across the national radar this past spring when they attended Mayor Mike Rawlings anti-domestic violence rally outside City Hall. A photo the group posted to Facebook showing members holding a sign reading "Muslims say NO to domestic violence!" went semi-viral as the Internet applauded them for battling the stereotype that Islam is inherently misogynistic.
"We wanted to clarify the misconception that any kind of domestic violence is allowed in our religion," ALM founder Ali Mahmoud told ABC News. "And it may seem apparent through the media that it's allowed, but that's majorly a cultural phenomenon and not an actual teaching of our religion."
The group was brand new at the time, having been founded the previous month. Now that it's a bit better established, it's enjoying a second burst of media attention, this time focussed not on any specific issue but on the mere existence of a fraternity whose members foreswear alcohol and pre-marital sex.
On Tuesday, Britain's The Independent ran a profile of the America's "first all-Muslim frat.".
"The idea of a Muslim fraternity seemed heretical," says Ali. However, as they worked on the idea they realised that many Muslim men at university felt that they either had to compromise their social life in order to live by the values of Islam, or compromise the values of Islam in order to have a social life. Ali believed a balance was achievable, and that was the path the establishment of Alpha Lambda Mu was trying to pave.
They created the fraternity, based on the principles of Islam - mercy, compassion, justice, integrity, honesty, unity, love, and sincerity - in order to prove that a modern Muslim college student could live as a dignified, respectable man and still have an organic college experience. They hope that in their fraternity, their members - 'young, self-actualised Muslim men' - will be servants to their families and every aspect of their greater community.
They created the fraternity, based on the principles of Islam - mercy, compassion, justice, integrity, honesty, unity, love, and sincerity - in order to prove that a modern Muslim college student could live as a dignified, respectable man and still have an organic college experience. They hope that in their fraternity, their members - 'young, self-actualised Muslim men' - will be servants to their families and every aspect of their greater community.
More at http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2013/09/ut_dallas_americas_first_musli.php .
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UT Dallas is Home to America's First Muslim Fraternity (Original Post)
TexasTowelie
Sep 2013
OP
efhmc
(14,709 posts)1. This is the type of "sterotype" I want to see.
Young men standing up for women and against prejudice.
msongs
(67,193 posts)2. an exclusionary club to keep out people of other religions? where have we seen this before nt