An interview with Muhammad Habash, one of the founders of Thaqalayn Muslim Association (TMA).

Without a doubt, the best mediums for young activists to flourish are college and university campuses; and nowhere is the North American Shi'a youth movement more palpable than at the University of Toronto. There-on the Mississauga campus almost five years ago-the Thaqalayn Muslim Association (TMA) was established. Since then TMA has seen unfettered growth-it currently has six chapters across the U.S. and Canada, and is in the process of reorganizing itself to create Thaqalayn Central.

For our inaugural newsletter, AMYNA is proud to highlight the Thaqalayn Muslim Association, which shares our mission to connect and empower the Shi'a youth of North America. We had an opportunity to speak with one of TMA's founding members, Muhammad Habash, about the group from its beginnings until now.

Zeinab: Can you give us an overview of TMA, from its genesis until now?

Muhammad: To address the genesis of Thaqalayn Muslim Association (TMA) requires a background into the organized Muslim student presence in North America. What later became known as TMA has really been in incubation for many years as its founding members have been taking into account the experiences of several generations of university graduates as early as the 1960s.

The early ideals, sentiments, and values of the organized Muslim student presence in North America, largely characterized by the MSA, had drawn its influence from the various Islamic movements and their theoreticians. These include such figures as Sheikh Hasan al-Banna, Sayyid Qutb, Maulana Abul Ala al-Mawdudi, Allamah Iqbal, amongst others. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire and dominance of European colonialism and imperialism was fresh in the Muslim psyche-both Sunni and Shi'a. The Shi'a, though oppressed and marginalized by the Ottoman (and antecedent caliphates), recognized and defended it as the last sovereign Islamic power with potential to confront against European encroachment and domination. Subsequent to the collapse, in the absence of Shi'a political and organizational theorists, such as Imam Khomeini, Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, Allamah Mutahhari, Sayyid Muhammad Hussain Fadlallah, Sheikh Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din, Sayyid Musa al-Sadr, Dr. Ali Shariati and others, Shi`a Islamists adopted the theoretical constructs, schematic programs of action, and practical experiences of their brethren Sunni theorists. However, as one academic states, while the Shi'a Islamists shared with their Sunni brethren, "the axiomatic notion of Islam as inherently embodying both religion and state-creed and law together-they differed with the former over the specific character of the ideal Islamic polity, the most feasible strategy by which to achieve set goals, and the priority that should be accorded to a myriad of issues". Thus generally, I believe this illustrates the setting of the Islamic movement at the time, including the student one.

This environment can also be reflected on the character of the MSA in its early periods till approximately the late 1970s and early 80s. This of course coincides with the Islamic Revolution in Iran creating the first Islamic State since Ottoman demise and it also was when Islam first began to really appear on the public radar in North America. Very early in this period the Sunni brethren supported this development. However, the cogs and wheels of the Wahhabi propaganda machine begin to turn. Supported by Saudi money, their intolerant ideology began to permeate into the Islamic world and started to incite the Ahlul Sunna against the Shi'a-and even against fellow Sunnis. Consequently with this influence, the MSA leadership began to change its tone and the Jum'a Khutbas began to reflect this propaganda effort. It was not uncommon to hear in these MSA Friday sermons that the Shi'a are infidels, deviants, extremists, and the like.

Although the hate propaganda has declined in recent years, there remains a sentiment of mistrust amongst the Sunni brethren in the MSA towards the Shi'a (which to some degree has existed since the demise of Prophet Muhammad). While many acknowledge that the Shi'a are Muslims, they consider them to depart from the "four lane highway" of Islam. They limited mainstream Islam to four lanes despite the fact that there were numerous schools of thought in that formative period almost a century after Prophet Muhammad's [s] demise, and that Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq [a], who is the canonical figure of Shi'a jurisprudence, was the teacher of Imam Abu Hanifa (who in turn taught subsequent canonical jurisprudents). By design then, the Ja'fari school became a shoulder lane at best, and was outside the limits of the main highway.

Consequently, while welcoming them into social and recreational functions like ski trips and iftars, they marginalize them when it comes to educating the membership and the wider North American society on Islam. Hence, they make no effort to invite Shi'a speakers or distribute books authored by the Shi'a.

These observations of course do not come to the forefront when Shi'a students are passive, as it is not in the MSA's interests (claiming to represent Muslims and not only Sunnis) to promote the fact that they cannot adequately incorporate the minorities like Shi'as. It is only when Shi'a students are active members of the MSA that they begin to encounter resistance to suggestions for speakers, events, and so forth-and that they begin to see the invisible lines drawn in the sand. At the same time, I don't want to completely generalize. There are MSA administrations that are quite inclusive, integrating the Shi'a populace despite pressures from backbenchers-and sometimes doing the right thing, as was the case at the University of Michigan Dearborn campus last year, has a heavy personal and even physical price to pay.

The founding members of TMA were fully cognizant of this long history, building this portfolio from university professors and many generations of active Shi'a students from all over North America. Despite this history, the founding members of TMA all of whom were active members of the MSA at the University of Toronto Mississauga campus, spent a full year in 2000-2001 attempting to resolve their concerns of alienation. For them, a complementary student association should be an action addressing a need, not a reaction built on grievances. At this point it is obvious that the MSA could not cater to their needs, and so they parted amicably, resorting then to fulfill the vacuum that has always existed. TMA was established at the University of Toronto at Mississauga on the day of Ghadeer 1421 AH (March 14, 2001). Between 2002-2004 four other Canadian university campuses with similar experiences established TMA and this created a network. The sixth and latest chapter takes TMA to the USA in the University of Michigan at Dearborn.

I believe that this experience, and subsequent creation of a complementary organization, is not unique to TMA and it is shared by Shi'a students all over North America, Europe, and the rest of the world really.

Zeinab: What do you say to those who claim that a Shi'a student organization is a bad idea-that it creates fitna in the Ummah?

Muhammad: We have many friends of this opinion, and I believe that their hearts are in the right place. However, we do disagree and here is why:

Unity does not require uniformity. The Qur'an presents a model of unity through diversity, "O mankind! Surely We have created you of a male and a female, and made you tribes and families that you may know each other" [49:13]. From this we can derive that uniformity isn't the main ingredient for unity. We believe that a united front can be achieved despite having more than one group. To me, characterizing disunity in terms of the fact that there are over thirty Christian societies at the University of Toronto St. George campus-or that there are multiple mosques in the city of Mississauga is simplistic. The litmus test should be on how well they work together based on their common identity and commonly held issues.

Moreover, we assert the opposite-that there can be and has been greater unity as a result of the formation of TMA. Dialogue is important to unity since it allows one to better understand the other and it precludes establishing a commonly held platform. Prior to the establishment of TMA, Shi'a students at our campuses were not given a voice and did not have the opportunity to educate others about the beautiful teachings from the Ahlul Bayt [a] and who their followers are. Here of course, we mean the masses, not individual efforts that are more confined to social circles of friends. By entering the arena as an organization, through our activities and behavior, we are better capable of educating and clearing misconceptions. Better understanding leads to better trust. Better trust leads to increased cooperation. These are the ingredients for unity-uniformity is not (and can instead lead to disunity with internal frustrations and discontent).

Finally, sometimes people forget the context in which we operate in. University is a forum of learning and discussion where parties-individual or collective, professors or societies-advance their views. TMA is one such party in a milieu of others. If we cannot advance our views in the healthy environment of the university, where else can we?

Also, what is the alternative? Individual efforts of change within the MSA are admirable and honorable, but have short term effects. Executives change and currents sway. Unless you manage to implement constitutional change recognizing Shi'a students as equals to their Sunni brethren, and the Ja'fari school as equal to the other four schools, whose teachings are equally worthy of promoting-then you simply maintain the status quo: the voiceless remain voiceless. Moreover, these articles need to be enforced and not simply decorative clauses in a constitution. Actions speak louder than words.

Is it possible? Yes, and we encourage Shi'a students to negotiate with their MSA and give them the benefit of the doubt before creating a complementary organization. The project is to act, not to react.

Zeinab: How is TMA's relationship with the MSA today?

Muhammad: TMA has a policy to keep its hands extended to its Sunni brethren no matter what. The hand will remain extended if it is shook, left hanging, or turned away. We have a positive attitude towards our Sunni brethren.

For most of our chapters, after an initial period of apprehension by the MSA, which is normal given the formation of a new Muslim body on campus and not knowing its agenda, cordial relationships were formed. We have a healthy and positive relationship while at the same time maintaining frank communication on issues that concern our respective parties. Lately, there has been an increase in co-organizing, sponsoring, and promoting each other's events. Almost all of these have been of a social nature, and Insha'Allah we look forward to future developments that go beyond that. Our hope is to reach a mature level where we are able to co-organize public educational events on topics that we hold in common (having both Sunni and Shi'a speakers present), and even engage in positive dialogue concerning issues that we differ.

It is needless to say that we stand by the MSA on any issue that concerns the Muslim populace-be it lobbying the administration for more halal food options on campus, prayer space, countering Islamophobia, etc.

Zeinab: TMA has had amazing success. What factors do you think contribute to this ongoing growth and how do you ensure the integrity of TMA?

Muhammad: At the outset, all success is from Allah [swt]. From day one there was a pronounced recognition that our efforts must be for the pleasure of God and not according to our desires. The biggest impediment in organizational work is the ego, which affects us all and needs to be kept in check.

Apart from that, TMA's integrity, success and growth can be attributed to certain doctrinal philosophies. We are cognizant of diversity within the Shi'a body itself-different nationalities, ethnicities, jurisconsults (maraaji'), political views, ideological lines, affiliations to mosques, organizations, youth groups…and it goes on. We have a firm non-affiliation policy that prevents us from touting along any of the aforementioned lines. Our mission revolves around the Thaqalayn-the Qur'an and Ahlul-Bayt [a]-and addressing the needs of their followers. It is only the Thaqalayn that provides the basis of our identity, and the fact that we are a student university-based organization. We also recognize that our executives naturally have their affiliations-but they are requested to keep those at bay when wearing the TMA hat.

In addition to accommodating the diversity within, we also strive for tolerance, mutual respect, peace, and understanding in our university communities. In addition to being positive contributors in our campuses, we are also are mindful of our civic responsibilities to the societies in which we live and to our neighbors here in Canada and the USA. We strive for this healthy atmosphere by emphasizing on dialogue and openness to others.

Apart from these core attitudes, certain practices also contribute to success and growth. The obvious of course is the fact that we fill a vacuum by addressing spiritual, social, and academic needs of Shi'a students as well as educating others on Islam through the teachings of the Ahlul-Bayt [a] in our campuses. Also, we strive towards professional, creative, and balanced presentation.

Zeinab: Why is student involvement important? What role do they play in building up the Ummah?

Muhammad: Youth is the most vital asset any community can have. Student activism is an amazing and invaluable opportunity—providing young people the chance to create their own organizations with autonomy, an opportunity they don't always get. This allows for creativity, and Muslim students should definitely take advantage of it. It is especially important as it exposes the individual to the field of academia and unique perspectives through discourse, something we Muslims need in order to be the solution we hope to see in the global community in which we live.

On a less abstract level, student activism allows young people to forge relationships that will last the rest of their lives. The social benefits of Muslim student activism—teaching networking, building professionalism, and allowing young people to work in Allah [swt]'s path on their own terms—are incredibly important. All of these skills must be inculcated in the youth of our Ummah. The student movement experience is special since it is a relatively unrestricted environment allowing for our more personalized approach to community involvement, allowing the student to cultivate a more professional character. Students find that they are more empowered to exercise their rights as Muslim activists—to unequivocally fulfill their duty as able-bodied members of this Ummah—with ideas they have set forth and implemented.

Zeinab: Please describe the Thaqalayn Central initiative. What is the purpose behind it? Why do you feel it is necessary now?

Muhammad: After more than 5 years of steadfast progress within our communities along with an expanding support base, we've decided to bring together our community leaders to reevaluate our progress, assemble the tremendous resources we have created, and reach out to other Muslim students across North America who share in our vision. We have currently dubbed this project "Thaqalayn Central." We believe with the current charters we have proposed to our constituents, we will fulfill the goal of a more unified Shi'a student front, with the unrestricted flow of ideas and resources amongst our chapters and participating students.

More specifically, we are currently architecting a cohesive organizational structure and protocol to help govern the growing number of participating chapters. We are also building a more comprehensive network linking together our current chapters and incorporating other existing student organizations that would like to be a part of a larger, national movement. Currently we have assembled several TMA executives, founding members and other leaders from across major campuses to execute this ambitious project.

Part of the philosophy behind Thaqalayn Central is that we seek to strike balance. While we want to create this unified, cohesive movement, we want each chapter to retain its own unique identity. We by no means want to "take over" at any university; we know that each campus community is different, and we leave it up to the students there who understand the dynamics to run things. We definitely want to reinforce the idea of unity through diversity with Thaqalayn Central, and now we are working toward achieving that unity.

We still do hope to incorporate the perspectives of interested students, which is why we are asking that they take part by emailing us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .