Q & A with Mohammad Mertaban

The Daily Bruin interviewed Mohammad Mertaban, president of
the Muslim Student Association, to discuss the MSA, the possible
war on Iraq, Saddam Hussein and prevalent Muslim
stereotypes.

Daily Bruin: What is the general aim of MSA?

Mohammad Mertaban: The basic goal of the MSA is to empower
Muslims to give back to the community what they’ve received
all their lives. We all recognize that we’re at an
institution with a high level of education. And so our motto is to
give back to those who got us here. We have four projects that
anyone can get involved in. A lot of graduates from the MSA have
started a clinic in South Central called the Umma Clinic. The
founders do outreach in the MSA and then go volunteer. We also have
the Incarcerated Youth Tutorial Project. We tutor the youth at a
correctional facility and help them to get their AA degrees. Our
other project is our Al-Talib magazine, which is more proactive and
media-related. Our last project is MAPS (Mentors for Academic and
Peer Support), and we go to two L.A. high schools, where we tutor
and peer advise. We try to provide them with some resources, and we
try to boost self esteem.

DB: How has MSA dealt with the Undergraduate Student
Association Council’s cuts? Do you feel that the cuts were
unfair?

MM: I still believe that we were unfairly treated, despite the
fact that all our arguments were very strong. But, regardless of
that, we pulled together and were able to find more funding on
campus than we have in the past. Although our funding was cut from
$5,200 last year to around $2,000 this year, we’ve been able
to get more funding this year because we’ve been more
resourceful.

DB: As a war on Iraq becomes more probable, do you find that
Muslims are feeling an increased need to unite? How are those with
family in Iraq coping with this difficult time?

MM: Definitely. Some of our members have family in Iraq. We as
Muslims believe what the prophet Mohammed said about loving for
your brother what you love for yourself. This concept is held very
dearly within Islam. Even though we may not have a blood
relationship with Muslims, we feel that the relationship we do have
is stronger than a blood relationship. The fact that they are
Muslims makes us love them. The situation in Iraq is sad for all
Muslims, but it’s even more sad for those who have family in
Iraq. It’s hard for them because they get cut off from
communicating with their families. Some of their families
don’t have access to phones. Also, it’s really
expensive. There’s very little Internet there, and they
won’t always let you use it. They’re afraid of people
sending things. Six or seven of our members have family in Iraq.
When we talk about Iraq, a lot of them have a hard time expressing
(themselves). We just try to provide support for them.

DB: What are your opinions of Sept. 11, 2001?

MM: As horrible, terrible and horrendous as Sept. 11 was, I
don’t see it on an equal level. Less than 3,000 people died.
In Iraq thousands of children ““ just children, under the age
of five ““ have been dying every month. The only thing that
got the American people to recognize the number of dead on Sept.
11, 2001, was that a building fell and everybody died in an
instant. People need to realize that the same thing and even worse
happens in Iraq every month. Just because it’s across the
world and nobody sees it, people think it’s OK. In 1991
America bombed Iraq with nuclear weapons. The effects of depleted
uranium hit five years later. There was a huge increase in the
mortality rate and deformity rate of children. There are also
higher incidences of leukemia and cancer, but they don’t have
chemotherapy there. So, a lot of children end up dying. The United
States sanctioned medical vehicles, so it was hard to get medicine
there. All the sanctions are ridiculous ““ food, too.

DB: Obviously, the Muslim community has experienced a rapid
increase in hate crimes and discrimination since Sept. 11, 2001.
Have Muslims had to deal with instances of discrimination on
campus?

MM: I think that discrimination on campus always existed. After
Sept. 11 there was just more of it. I know that a lot of Muslims
were uncomfortable after Sept. 11, 2001. I know that my parents
didn’t feel safe about sending me to school. I had a final
two days after, and my parents wouldn’t let me go and take
it. That was the situation with a lot of Muslims on campus. The
sisters in the MSA face discrimination more because they’re
more easily identifiable. They wear the hijab. A lot of sisters
talked about certain guys picking on them or calling them names. I
don’t think that there were any physical attacks. They were
mostly verbal attacks ““ people yelling, “Go back to
your own country!” Some of the Daily Bruin Viewpoint
submissions discriminated against us. Al-Talib got a lot of flack
““ a lot of e-mails and accusations. Still, we got a lot of
support from the administration and from other groups on
campus.

DB: What are the chief misconceptions about Islam and Muslim
culture in general?

MM: A big one is the idea that Muslims are terrorists. How can
the actions of a small groups of people be applied to those of the
rest of the world? Sept. 11, 2001, was in no way supported by
Muslims. It was very obvious. Muslim organizations were among the
first to condemn the actions. People don’t realize that.
It’s very frustrating sometimes when people still call you
these stereotypes, even though you’ve already come out
against it. Another misconception is that our women are oppressed,
un-educated, stay at home, cook, and clean. When, in reality, if
you ask any Muslim sister, she’ll probably say that she feels
liberated by Islam.

DB: How do the people in Iraq feel toward Saddam
Hussein?

MM: I know that there is a lot of opposition in Iraq. It’s
hard to gauge from my personal experience what a lot of Iraqi
people feel. A lot of people are afraid to say things against the
regime. Because the government is so messed up, there are officials
everywhere. The second you say something wrong against the regime,
you and your family are killed. The son of Saddam Hussein would go
and point at women, saying “come here.” He would then
rape them. If they say no, their families would be killed.
They’re so afraid. They live under constant fear. Another
thing is that Saddam Hussein builds these beautiful mosques and has
the people thinking that the food from the Oil for Food program is
from him, even though it comes from the United Nations. People at
home are thinking that their lovely Saddam is giving them food.
Saddam is like the pride of the Arabs. They always praise him. If
you go there, Saddam is everywhere. There are statues of him in all
different positions. Saddam is portrayed as a teacher, someone who
loves children, as a father … there are so many different
scenarios. How can you not be brainwashed? And you’re taught
this from grade school. I went into a classroom, and they sang a
song for us about how beautiful Saddam is. They were little,
five-year-old children. They didn’t know what they were
saying. That’s the way they were taught.

DB: How should Americans deal with and react to recent
events?

MM: I think that Americans need to be better thinkers. It comes
down to believing whatever you hear. Many believe everything they
see on CNN or everything they read in the L.A. Times. It’s
like they think everything there is the absolute truth. A lot of
people have a very limited source of news. The L.A. and New York
Times live for this kind of stuff. They live to make stereotypes,
otherwise they wouldn’t have stories. Why would anyone want
to hear about how good the Muslims are? People shouldn’t take
information at face value. Also, people need to humanize the Iraqi
people. They’re people too. Think of yourself in their shoes:
how would you feel toward the actions of the United States? The
United States should not liberate people. Look what happened in
Afghanistan in the name of liberation. The United States sets out
to liberate people and ends up killing them. People must become
more open-minded and listen to others’ arguments. Engaging in
discussions and dialogue with people about the war would help. A
lot of people aren’t informed about the war, so outreach is
important too.