Sanchez: Horrors! There are Muslims among us
For an object lesson in how social media can create a tempest in a teapot, look no further than Wichita State University in Kansas.
Six months ago, the university renovated a nondenominational chapel on campus so that it could more easily accommodate prayer by Muslim students. Pews were removed (replaced by stackable chairs) so that prayer carpets could be spread on the floor.
The alteration was uncontroversial … until an alumna caught wind of it and bewailed the indignity on Facebook. “The Muslims are ecstatic,” she posted, according to the Wichita Eagle. “Sumpin’ NOT right here.”
Other alumni escalated the issue, and in short order the university’s president agreed (in a Facebook post) to revisit the decision to remove the pews.
It took six months for the now furious alumni to learn of the changes, raising questions about just how invested they are in the religious life of the student body.
The alumna who started the furor is now declining interviews, but for a while she continued to post comments such as, “God will always trump allah” (sic).
She’s likely unaware that “Allah” is Arabic for God. And, given other posts, it’s doubtful she’s waded into the deep theological discussions. Rather, what we have here is a Christian who demands that every public space be accommodating to Christians, first and foremost, and that everyone else needs to stand back. It’s all about feelings — her own.
It should also be underscored that Christian students also favored taking out the pews, and the request came through the student government association.
As news spread, Fox News got in on the act. A columnist on its website called the chapel renovation “Christian cleansing.”
“This is what the Islamic transformation of a nation founded on Judeo-Christian values looks like, folks,” wrote Todd Starnes. “The Christian faith is marginalized while the Islamic faith is given accommodation.”
Why not accommodate Muslims at Wichita State? They number about 1,000 out of the nearly 15,000 student body.
Wichita State’s Harvey D. Grace Memorial Chapel was never intended to be only for Christian students, although revisionist arguments are being made now. The chapel was a gift by the namesake’s widow, dating to 1964. A “nondenominational” worship space back then more than likely had a Christian context. These days, on virtually any university campus you will meet many Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims.
But Muslims are the focus here. Some regard any Muslim as a potential threat. And it’s not just in Kansas.
The week the Wichita State story broke, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was chastising Eastern European governments for letting Islamophobia undercut outreach efforts to Syrians now streaming across Europe.
Obviously, alumni of any university or college have an important role to play. But alumni who are good stewards understand that they shouldn’t impose their prejudices.
As Wichita State President John Bardo wrote, “Our goal should be exactly what Mrs. Grace set out to do in her gift, to have an all faiths chapel that is welcoming to all religious groups on campus.”
Now there is an example of a generous gift that had some foresight toward the future.
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