In an effort to further strengthen Islamic studies at Stanford, students have mounted a grassroots effort to build a Muslim Cultural Community Center on campus. However, some have expressed mixed opinions over whether these changes are happening fast enough.

A proposal to build a Muslim Cultural Community Center on campus was submitted to the administration last December, according to Muslim Students Awareness Network (MSAN) President Mohammad Subeh, a co-terminal student in sociology.

“When we sent out a petition with the proposal last quarter, we got thousands of signatures and positive comments in support of the Center,” Subeh said.

“The main goals of the Muslim Cultural Community Center are to serve as an academic and social resource for Muslims and members of Stanford’s community who are interested in the Muslim world,” said outgoing MSAN President Omar Shakir, a junior.

“Students can learn more about the Muslim World, which includes 52 nations, 60 languages and nearly a quarter of the world’s population,” Shakir said. “There will be resources for students interested in studying abroad in, doing research on, or simply learning more about the politics, cultures and societies of countries from Morocco to Indonesia.

“The Center will also act as a community center for members of the Muslim cultural community, like others on campus, providing a safe space for individuals to discuss issues of identity and resources for personal and academic development,” he added.

However, the details regarding a Muslim Cultural Community center are currently under discussion. And, according to Shakir, no definite opening date or location — temporary or permanent — has been decided.

“We’re hoping it will open in the fall somewhere temporary on campus, but that’s still up to the University to account for,” Subeh said. “There are a lot of roadblocks we have to get through. It’s mainly a matter of finding space and funding, but it’s a big initiative, that deserves such resources. It’s very important to us to take this time working out all of the details beforehand so that the center can serve the needs of the community in a sustainable manner.”

Both Subeh and Shakir said they feel the Center might help open discourse about Islam on campus. In a May 17 article in The San Jose Mercury News, Stanford’s Islamic Studies program was faulted by students for growing too slowly in spite of an almost $9 million core endowment.

“Have we at Stanford made progress quickly enough? In my opinion, no,” said Robert Gregg, professor of religious studies and director of the Islamic Studies Program. “Progress depends on having funding for more faculty working in the field, on adding senior scholars to our number, and on taking care to fashion just the kind of multi-disciplinary, multi-departmental program that the University leadership, the donors and the faculty involved wish to have in place for teaching and research.”

However, according to Gregg, some progress has been made. Junior scholar Behnam Sadeki has been secured to arrive next fall, and a search for another scholar of Islam to join Stanford’s staff is underway. Additionally, fundraising is planned to recruit five more professors who specialize in Islamic studies.

One major complaint students have expressed about the program is that current course offerings are inadequate and do not meet demand to learn about issues of Muslim society and culture.

“Islamic Studies is a crucial need,” Shakir said. “We’re simply not meeting the growing demand of students, as classes like ‘Islam and the West’ are constantly over-subscribed to.”

Gregg said this criticism was unwarranted.

“I am aware of 22 courses this year having to do directly with Islam, not counting the 27 courses in Arabic language, in history, religious studies, political science, CASA, and IPS,” he said.” I know of no student who was turned away from any of these. Indeed, several had reasonable and comfortable class size.”

Subeh said he felt that more University participation in both the Muslim Cultural Community Center and the Islamic Studies Program would improve the situation.

“The administration needs to step it up a notch and be more proactive,” he said. “At this point it’s all students who are working behind the scenes in the planning and development of these initiatives. It’s 24 hours a day working on these huge ventures — it’s not just planning an event or concert.

“When completed, the center will leave a lasting impact on generations to come at Stanford,” he added. “The University has a lot to benefit from this project, so it should be putting considerably more time and effort into the development off these two initiatives.”

While both sides agree that progress is slow, Gregg expressed optimism for the future of Islamic studies at Stanford.

“I believe we are taking a different approach to creating an excellent program for Islamic studies than is found elsewhere, that we have good student interest in the study of Islamic history and religion, as well as varied approaches to the study of Muslim societies,” he said, “And I am by no means discouraged by what we have now in place, and by what the future promises.”