The American Society for Muslims in Architecture stands in solidarity with student encampments advocating for Palestinian Liberation.
وَٱعۡتَصِمُواْ بِحَبۡلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعٗا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُواْۚ وَٱذۡكُرُواْ نِعۡمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ إِذۡ كُنتُمۡ أَعۡدَآءٗ فَأَلَّفَ بَيۡنَ قُلُوبِكُمۡ فَأَصۡبَحۡتُم بِنِعۡمَتِهِۦٓ إِخۡوَٰنٗا وَكُنتُمۡ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفۡرَةٖ مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنۡهَاۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَهۡتَدُونَ (١٠٣)
And hold firmly together to the rope of Allah and do not be divided. Remember Allah’s favor upon you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts, so you—by His grace—became brothers. And you were at the brink of a fiery pit and He saved you from it. This is how Allah makes His revelations clear to you, so that you may be ˹rightly˺ guided. (The Noble Quran, 3:13)
قال رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - "من رأى منكم منكرًا فليغيره بيده ، فإن لم يستطع فبلسانه، فإن لم يستطع فبقلبه وذلك أضعف الإيمان" (رواه مسلم)
The Prophet Muhammad (may the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever amongst you sees an evil, he must change it with his hand; if he is unable to do so, then with his tongue; and if he is unable to do so, then with his heart; and that is the weakest form of Faith". [Muslim]
The American Society for Muslims in Architecture stands in solidarity with college students and faculty across the country and the globe calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and demanding that academic institutions disclose their investments and divest from all entities complicit in the genocide, urbicide, domicide, ecocide, and occupation of Palestinian Land and People.
Our faith outlines a fundamental right and collective duty to denounce injustices we witness. The Genocide of the Indigenous Palestinian People in Gaza, which follows 75 years of Zionist occupation and apartheid, has been thoroughly documented on social media platforms by the Murabitoon (The Steadfast People) in the besieged strip. People across the globe have a fundamental right to denounce these atrocities and the roles of their respective governments and institutions in the destruction of life in the besieged Gaza Strip and across occupied and besieged Palestinian territories.
ASMA recognizes and salutes the college students and other activists that have been organizing encampments in colleges and universities across the country to denounce the Genocide and demand divestment from it perpetrators
We've been shocked by the encroachment on these spaces and the forceful denial of the academics' right to peaceful protesting by state troopers, the police, and other forces that were deployed to brutalize and violently arrest students and faculty alike. Yet, akin to the Palestinian Murabitoon, they’ve shown their steadfastness and continued to demand justice and liberation for the Noble People of Palestine.
ASMA joins the students, faculty, staff, and allies that have been partaking in these protests in calling on college and university administrators to:
Disclose all direct and indirect investments into the Apartheid State of Israel;
Completely divest from the Apartheid State of Israel, including direct and indirect means, monetary contributions, and academic collaborations;
Protect all college students, faculty, and staff partaking in encampments from detention and academic retaliation in support of their constitutional right to freedom of expression.
Assalamu Alaikom …
The American Society for Muslims in Architecture
May 1, 2024