In January 2006, Kaoutar Kanjaâ, a student at the UT, and Havva Liko, a colleague at the Saxion Hogeschool, actualized their idea of a Muslim students' organization in the Twente region with the birth of El Rahma.
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| Havva Likoglu (left) and Kaoutar Kanjaâ (right) are active members of MSV Twente.Photo by Arjan Reef |
Ouarda Benjadi, one of the charming and polite young members of the group, explained that the main purpose of this group was to `give objective information about Islam.' She argued that Islam, especially after September 11, 2001, has been the center of too many controversies and it is about time that Muslims do their part to clear up misconceptions. After untiring efforts towards this goal for a whole year, the committed women of this group realized that there was a lot more potential out there and that the group needed to be bigger and more organized so that other interested parties and individuals could join the action. Thus, the emerging group was given a new name in Jan 2007, Muslim Studenten Vereniging (MSV) Twente.
Everyone is invited to join this group, whether male or female, Muslim or non-Muslim, Dutch or foreigner. The only condition is that they have to be a student in the Twente area. MSV Twente currently has 30 members, 16 of whom are UT students; the rest study at Saxion Hogeschool. In addition to the original objective, the group has started working towards stimulating young foreigners to pursue higher education in the Netherlands. According to Benjadi, the percentage of foreign students at Saxion Hogeschool and the UT symbolizes the fact that the number of foreigners in these seats of learning is far too low. She said that in the Netherlands employers asked for at least a HBO (bachelor's) degree from an accredited university, an acquirement of which the local ethnic youth are not adequately encouraged.
Benjadi talked about the different activities that MSV Twente has undertaken at the UT, including dinner parties and lectures, adding that there was still a long way to go. She, particularly, had very good words to say about the late pastor of the UT, Kees Kuyvenhoven, who had been exceptionally helpful to them in all their activities and truly believed in their cause.
All the members of MSV Twente are full-time students and most of them work part-time too, as is the norm in the Netherlands. Yet they find time to participate in group activities on a purely voluntary basis. On being inquired about this, Benjadi replies with her customary warm smile that they work `from the depth of their hearts' and she thinks that their time is `blessed.'
It is refreshing to see a group of passionate young students working towards the noble goal of betterment of their society with zeal and gusto. To learn more about MSV Twente, contact the organization at [email protected].
Kamran Sheikh
