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10 Helpful Hints for
College Beginners
Strategies for Academic Success
Foothill in Palo Alto...Middlefield Campus
Join our Shades of Africa Club
Vice Chancellor Judith James to Speak at King Luncheon
Historical Black College Tours
The moment I turned on the television and saw America being attacked I was in absolute shock, pain and denial like the rest of world. The first thing that came across my mind was the innocent people who died and the families who would be affected by it. But just as this sadness was sinking into my heart, I started hearing about hate crimes against the Muslims. Now fear had entered my heart. Not only did I still have to deal with the sorrow about those who died in the attack I also had to deal with the fear about being safe in America. It felt like my freedom, liberty and speech had been violated.
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The measure of a country’s greatness is its ability to retain compassion in times of crisis. -Thurgood Marshall, |
Foothill College is being very helpful to prevent hate crimes on campus and ensuring the safety of its students. The Muslim Student Association (MSA) is doing a number of things to ensure the safety of students on campus. If you need someone to talk to, consult a counselor named Melanie Pla- Richard in the on-campus Psychological Services Office. The MSA is starting an escort system/buddy system for students who don’t feel safe walking alone to their class or car. Please contact the MSA at msa_foothill@yahoo.com if you are interested. If you call the Police Department at (650)949-7313 or dial 7313 from any campus phone they can also assist in walking you to your class or car.
The MSA is happy to answer any questions you may have. Please email the MSA at MSA_Foothill@yahoo.com.
Don’t forget to stop by our MSA table during Club Day Wednesday, Oct. 17, noon. We will have safety tips along with information about our club.
-Saadia Hameed - VP of the Muslim Student Association
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I do not agree with the capitalist system, but killing innocent people is definitely not the way to get your point across. I don’t know if this act is even about politics anymore.
-M. Banks, Foothill Student |
I personally feel it’s about that time to get with reality and quit living like there are no worries in the world. It has been a long time coming for this, and I just have to be ready for anything and keep praying. |
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A little more than a week after the grave attacks on America, our country is still in a state of shock. Thousands of innocent civilians perished at the hands of those responsible for these acts of terror. Sentiments of grief and sorrow are resonating throughout our communities. We remain a nation in mourning. Since the four plane crashes, civilians across the country and abroad have ardently voiced their desires to hunt down the perpetrators of this act of true terror and bring them to justice. Unfortunately, this sentiment is often complimented by a blind rage toward all Muslims. Because of misinformation, Muslims as a whole are wrongly being accused of the horrendous acts that played out on Sept. 11. Muslims who had nothing to do with this act of terror are being verbally harassed, physically threatened, and even killed in all areas of the country. Islam is being smeared as a religion of extremists and terrorists, when in reality the Islamic doctrine is one of peace that denounces the killing of any and all innocent civilians. Countless Muslim leaders have denounced the violent attacks and iterated that such attacks are in no way permitted in Islam. As American Muslim students, we do not deserve any accusations or harassment of Muslims to go on at our schools. We, too, are citizens of this nation and are entitled to liberty and freedom from unjust persecution. In a time of great tragedy and uncertainty, let not unfounded accusations of all Muslims further drive our nation into peril and tragedy. -Rabea Chaudry, Foothill College Student |
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| The terrorist attacks on US territory shocked and deeply saddened me. These brutal acts were described as the worse since the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, which ironically also led to the US involvement in World War II. Thousands of people are dead or missing. While the hope of those still alive is growing slim, the American spirit of the people has not faded. Nonetheless, there have been recent reports of two deaths, and verbal and physical assaults on Muslim Americans across the country. People resembling the Arab origin as well as other Asian American groups, including the turbaned Sikhs, have not escaped community’s fury. Sikhs are followers of a religion (Sikhism) neither related to the predominant Hinduism or Muslim religion in India. We should learn from our past to reconsider our actions. Let us not forget our retaliation towards the Japanese Americans after the Pearl Harbor bombing. We cannot claim justice if we cannot hold ourselves accountable for what we do. Additionally, we need to push to learn about other people’s beliefs and culture. After all, that is the only rational way we can live with one another. -Felket Kahsay, Foothill Student |
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