Daily Bruin fails to cover stirring lecture given by Muslim convert

By Sam Nashid

At least twice a week, this newspaper publishes a story about
some lecture, business forum or meeting held by various members of
the media, academia or government. Far too often, the subjects of
these meetings are drab (they’re usually the articles that we
subconsciously ignore) and more often than not, fewer than 60
people show up at the events.

Knowing this, why would the Daily Bruin fail to cover a lecture
in which Moore 100 overflowed its 400-person capacity, leaving
audience-members sitting on the floor? Why would the Daily Bruin
ignore a speech by a world-renowned humanitarian and artist, one
which ended with listeners swarming down the aisles to crowd around
the speaker? I have no idea, but I think we, as readers, deserve
some sort of answer.

Last Tuesday, Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, spoke
to a group of fans, Muslim students and members of the media
concerning his conversion to Islam some 20 years ago. His speech,
“The Journey to the Center of the Universe,” makes
reference to his lifelong search for the truth of the world.
Beginning with his childhood in London and tracing his steps
through his success as a musician and the incidents of adversity
that propelled him to search for spirituality, Yusuf Islam used
humor and samples from his early recordings, keeping his audience
entertained and reminiscent.

His speech culminated in the narration of his discovery of the
miracle of the Qur’an and the far-reaching message of Islam.
Yusuf Islam spoke from the heart when he mentioned the true oneness
of God mentioned in the Qur’an and the message of the Prophet
Muhammad.

Most significantly, Yusuf Islam sought to erase the prejudices
of Islam, as it is the fastest growing religion in the world and in
America as well as the largest religion in the world (1.9 billion)
and the second largest religion in America (over 9 million, second
only to Christianity). To continue to ignore the growth of Islam
and the Islamic movement does a great injustice to The
Bruin’s readers.

People are converting to Islam at a rate unseen in the history
of religion. More and more, this movement is having international
implications. With the recent victory of the Islamic organization
Hezbollah over Israeli occupiers, Muslims are beginning to learn
that only through their religion can they achieve political
success. Why is it that after 23 years of Israeli occupation it
took a start-up, non-secular group like Hezbollah to secure the
safety of the Lebanese people? I’ll tell you why ““
without God, there can be no real success.

Those who strive in the way of God throughout the world fear
only God, not their tyrannical opponents, such as Israel. They may
be slaughtered (i.e., Kosovars, Chechens, Bosnians) or momentarily
silenced by biased media members (i.e., Palestinians), but they
will never die out nor will the truly devoted ever give in. It is a
duty of Muslims to strive for the cause of the oppressed while
denouncing and ridding the world of the oppressor.

There is a great feeling among Americans that our country is a
beacon of democracy and an upholder of justice. We are still
feeling the effects of evils like slavery, racism and hatred. Yet,
after the great tragedy of the Holocaust, many of us vowed that
such genocides and injustices would never happen again.

Why then, did we sit idly by during the “ethnic
cleansing” imposed upon Bosnians? Why do struggles such as
that of the Zapatistas in Chiapas, Mexico go unheard? Why now, do
we watch and wait while Chechens are denied their basic rights of
life, liberty and justice? How about the denial of the land that
has belonged to the Palestinians for hundreds of years by the
Zionists? Why do these go unmentioned?

It is time for America to wake up. And it is time for those who
care for the right to live and sympathize with humanitarian causes
to applaud those who are ready to die for the sake of others and
the sake of God. And this could start by giving a little credit to
Yusuf Islam, a humanitarian applauded by Prince Charles for his
charitable works, yet unmentioned by the campus paper when he
visits UCLA.

It is up to the Daily Bruin, and in fact all institutions of
media, to inform their readers about the movements of the
oppressed. When someone like Cat Stevens, who has a devoted fan
base, visits UCLA with a message of peace and justice, there must
be media coverage.