Social networking site controversy at Oswego State

BY LOUIS ANDREWS, ARLEE LOGAN & JESSICA SKELDON

A friendly lakeside bonfire has become the center of a debate on cultural intolerance involving two campus-based religious organizations.

On the night of April 6, a small group of students met on the beach behind Scales Hall. Controversy was sparked when a copy of the Quran found its way into the bonfire.

It is understood that the students in attendance agreed to burn objects which symbolised aspects of their past that they no longer needed. One of the students felt that the Quran, the sacred text of the Islamic faith, was such an object.

The difficult situation was compounded by the fact that many of the students were members of Brothers and Sisters in Christ (BASIC), a group whose mission statement speaks of promoting “unity and friendship for Christians on campus.”

According to Shannan Renik, the president of BASIC, the event was “in no way” endorsed by the organization.

“It was a small gathering of people, and was not in any way part of a BASIC sponsored event,” Renik said. “It was not advertised, it was not organized, it was just a ‘hey guys, lets hang out and have a bonfire’.”

Renik explained that the decision to burn the book was not made out of a desire to express anti-Islamic sentiments.

“One individual chose to burn the Quran, not because of what it was but because of the past that she had with it,” Renik said. “She burned it not out of any form of animosity towards the religion or group of people; she burned it out of personal conviction because she knew that if she held on to it she would continue to look to it.”

The issue was further complicated when Renik posted images from the bonfire on her Facebook profile.

The BASIC president stressed that she did so because the act of burning objects of personal significance was “a very proud moment” for the students involved – but because they released themselves from the objects that they were clinging onto, not because of the actual burning of them.

Renik had no idea that the postings would cause the controversy that ensued.

A concerned friend pointed out the original photos to Oswego State student Andrew Hafner.

“I didn’t really believe it at first, and I asked him where he found those pictures. He told me told me that one of the girls had put them up on a public profile,” Hafner said.

A “shocked and upset” Hafner soon found the images on Renik’s Facebook, and responded by displaying the images on a Facebook group of his own creation titled “BASIC burned a Quran.”

“All I wanted to do was to raise awareness. I didn’t want to bash BASIC, I wasn’t trying to shut them down,” Hafner said. “I wasn’t on some sort of mission. I just really wanted people to see this and to know that this happened. I feel that people have a right to know.”

Hafner’s online group was operational for all of five hours. Renik was soon alerted to its existence, and got in touch with Hafner to clarify the situation.

Renik explained to Hafner that the event was not BASIC sponsored, and that the decision was made by the individual student without intent to cause distress to the Islamic community. Hafner immediately complied with BASIC’s wishes and removed the group from Facebook.

“I can understand their side of it. It’s kind of like if you break up with a girlfriend that you’ve been dating for a long time, you might burn love letters,” Hafner said. “You want to let a piece of your life go. I do understand that, but at the same time I think that it was unnecessary to burn the Quran.”

Abraham Alshawish, president of the Muslim Student Association at Oswego State, expressed the distress felt by many of his fellow Muslim students.

“Our initial emotion is not anger, it’s more like our heart has been broken. We are saddened, and we get scared. That fear turns into our anger. That’s really how it happens,” Alshawish said.

Nevertheless, Alshawish was unwilling to cast judgement on any party without hearing all the facts.

“Personally, I believe that I can’t judge Christianity or BASIC for this incident. It would be wrong. Islam teaches me not to judge based on this incident,” he said. “It teaches me to give people the benefit of the doubt and to look into this situation further. It’s truly a very logical religion.”

According to Renik, the student who burned the text was apologetic over her actions and the way they had been construed on Facebook.

“She is very hurt. She had no idea that this would ever happen. She has shed a lot of tears over it,” Renik said. “It was a private decision by one individual, and it should not have been made public. I apologise to the student body for what they may have perceived as an act of religious intolerance. It was not our intention.”