Muslim Students React to Englert’s Email

WRITTEN BY: TAYLOR ALLEN

Temple University President Richard Englert sent an email Saturday, Jan. 29 to all students and faculty establishing solidarity with Muslim students. Englert also advised international Muslim students against traveling outside the country. This is a direct response to President Trump’s executive order stalling immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

Temple is not the only university to release a public statement on the issue. Other Philadelphia schools such as Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania have also reached out to their Muslim communities on campus.

Ibrahim Souadda, president of Temple’s Muslim Students Association, is unsatisfied with Temple’s lack of action.

“If they’re going to pride themselves on diversity and that be their main selling point, then they should look carefully at how they’re allocating their money into supporting what they are trying to say with more than just words,” Souadda said.

Souadda met with President Richard Englert immediately after President Trump was inaugurated and plans to meet with him again in the near future.

In contrast, some disagree. Temple alum Raya Abdelaal is a first-generation Palestinian-American. Abdelaal is happy with the way Temple has been open with its support of the muslim community.

“I’m really proud of Temple,” Abdelaal said. “They really stepped up their game. They support us, they talk about us. I love the diversity, and I love how open everyone is.”

President Trump’s executive order was halted days after it was originally signed. The American Civil Liberties Union has criticized the order as un-American and unconstitutional. As of Feb. 8, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked Trump’s request for it to be reinstated.

Feature Image Courtesy: CNN