There was a talk about ISIS last night at Boyd Orr

As part of Islam Awareness Week, the GU Muslim Students Association held a well-attended event entitled “What’s the deal with ISIS?” on Wednesday night at Boyd Orr.

The panel was moderated by local businessman and radio host Amjid Bashir, and it featured Sheikh Sohaib Saeed, a scholar of Islam: Dr Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, a Glasgow-based writer and sociologist, Safa Yousaf, a GU Law graduate and activist, and Dawud Duncan, the former VP of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies.

The issues discussed included what ISIS is, what their religious and ideological stances are, and what effect they have on Muslims in the UK.

Several panelists have expressed concerns with the policies and rhetoric of the Cameron administration which, in their opinion, play into ISIS’ narrative of pitting Muslims against the West.

Duncan remarked that the idea that “Muslims are dangerous people” is a false but much repeated canard, and the Islamophobia which results from the propagation of this view only adds to the alienation ISIS recruiters seek to exploit when they target young Muslims, most of whom are vulnerable youth with little understanding of Islam.

Yousaf likened the recruiting tools employed by the group to child grooming. “If you join, I will buy you an iPad, I will buy you a bag. These are the same tactics a pedophile might use.” For this reason, she highlighted parents’ responsibility to educate their children about online safety, as most ISIS communication towards prospective members is conducted through social media with an estimated 90,000 tweets sent out a day.

To combat the negative effect ISIS is having on Muslims in the West, Sheikh Saeed said that Muslims must do more: radicals must be drowned out, so the space ISIS is currently occupying with their media-savvy propaganda can be filled with actual Islam. “It is important not to fall into victim mentality,” the scholar warned.

We asked GUMSA general secretary Rafa Abushaala what the society’s goals were with the event.

“Many seem to associate ISIS with the teachings of Islam given the way they are portrayed by the media. Many try to avoid the subject making it a taboo issue that can’t be discussed freely, but to tackle misconceptions it must be addressed in a more formal manner.

“There were key questions to be discussed, and it was thought to be important to give people an opportunity to ask those who are well-versed in the field.”

Although the general secretary had “expected an Islamophobic remark,” the audience proved to be well educated and simply looking for clarifications.

With cases like that of Glasgow resident Aqsa Mahmood leaving the city to marry a fighter in Syria, we also wanted to know whether radicalization was a problem at Glasgow University.

“No,” Abushaala responded, “Glasgow University prides itself in providing an atmosphere of diversity, tolerance, and cohesion. As such, us Muslim students gladly bear the responsibility of matching these qualities and – to the best of my knowledge – have done so for as long as they have been part of the university.”

Islam Awareness Week this year also featured a successful interfaith fundraiser for Macmillan Cancer Support and a lavish unity dinner for people of all and no religion.

GU Jewish Society social secretary and happy IAW participant Lily Keisler said: “Because of our involvement with GUMSA, we have met so many friendly people, and we are looking forward to do more interfaith collaborations with them in the future.”