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SBA President ends year with 'CATHARSIS'
Chris Jones
Ebbtide Reporter
The following report is based on “Section 2” of “Catharisis of Rebellion,” which was held from 10:30 to 11:30 Thursday, May 15.
SBA President Shaun Scott recently delivered a two-hour lecture advertised as “an analysis of the causes, common threads and lessons that can be drawn from American social struggles.” Attendees were each given a printed flyer with a mini-biography of Scott, listing his age (18), his major (history), his future school (Seattle University) and the tantalizing news, “This may be your last chance to hear him speak at Shoreline.” Along with the flyer came an issue of “Adrenaline! The official forum of the SCC student government” (Editor-in-chief Shaun Scott), featuring seven articles by Shaun Scott.
After introducing himself, Scott began a wide-ranging exposition on his views of social movements and American history in general.
Prison Reform: Scott claims that corporations operating prisons for profit have, through their political contributions, manipulated law makers with the aim of increasing the number of prison inmates in order to increase profits.
George Washington: “I would home-school my children rather than let them go to public school and be taught that George Washington never told a lie.”
Fidel Castro: “Fidel Castro is one of my heroes; there are a lot of parallels between him and Malcolm [X]. They were both in jail….”
Reached after the conference, just prior to his departure for an SBA retreat, and asked about the main idea behind “Catharis of Rebellion,” Scott responded that the main conclusion to be drawn from his program was that, historically, the more diverse a social movement, the greater its chance of success.
Regarding his credentials as a historian, Scott commented that, like any professor, he had “opened books, read them and made my conclusions.” When asked if lectures like “Catharsis of Rebellion” were an appropriate use of SBA funds, Scott maintained that rather than lecturing, he was leading “discussions” which benefited the whole student body.
Scott responded to questions about the lack of democracy in Cuba and the imprisonment of political dissidents there by saying these were merely “imperfections” in the Cuban system which were comparable to past abuses committed in the United States by the FBI. Scott feels that the lack of violent insurrection in Cuba over the past 40 years may be an indication that the Cuban people are satisfied with their government.
Regarding his statements that the world was “in need of martyrs” (“martyrism,” as he calls it), Scott confirmed that he felt “If something is important to the people, they must put their lives on the line.”
Islamic, American cultures share common values, says filmmaker
Chris Jones
Ebbtide Reporter
Local filmmaker Farah Nousheen showed clips from her new film “Nazrah, A Muslim Woman’s Perspective,” during an on-campus preview May 29. “Nazrah,” an Arabic word meaning “perspective,” records a discussion among 12, mostly American, Muslim women about their faith and thoughts concerning the place of women in Islam.
Nousheen said she feels that because of 9-11, the time has come for Muslims to look inward and examine some the problems of their community. Through “Nazrah,” she hopes to promote discussion in the Muslim community about the problems facing Muslim women.
Nousheen began her presentation by trying to show a correlation between American and Islamic values.
“There are Muslims oppressing and discriminating against each other, and that is the kind of work that I really want to work on. The roots of discrimination oftentimes lie in a lack of understanding and education. As Muslim-Americans we must educate ourselves and the others of our own community in the same way that we educate Americans who are currently educating non-Muslims. We can go beyond that. The things like discrimination oppression, subjugation, chauvinism are all against the foundation beliefs of Islam, which is based on the principles of social justice, liberation, equality and community service. And oddly enough, these are the same beliefs that American values are based on.”
Discussion with the audience quickly centered on whether women could ever be considered equal in a faith that allows polygamy. Nousheen presented the view that polygamy, once justifiable for historical and economical reasons, is no longer acceptable in the modern world. Some audience members argued that polygamy could never be abolished since, through the Koran, Allah had established polygamy for all times and all ages.
Nousheen ended her program with the request to her fellow Muslims that they work in their individual Mosques to promote equality and expand the participation of women.
Information about future screenings of “Nazrah” can be found at the Web site, www.nazrah.org. Nousheen can be reached at farahnousheen@hotmail.com.