Dear Editor,
I watched UTM/TV’s piece on Islam & Dating, and as a Muslim I’m sad to say I was disappointed by its lack of depth, both in narrative style and focus. It was unfortunate that UTM/TV decided to neglect more substantial interviews on the issue of Islam & Dating. The piece failed to provide a responsible counter-narrative to some of the insinuations and claims made about Muslims and Islam, and not for lack of resource. The title did not responsibly reflect the content in that it seemed to centre on the permissibility of dating in Islam—but then it suddenly jumped to sexual orientation and the topic of homosexuality within Islam. The issue of homosexuality was simply brushed on and was incompetently discussed. Such nuanced topics deserve to be responsibly explored in depth, and opinions should properly be supplemented or countered with facts.
I invite and encourage my colleagues at UTM/TV to approach and engage the Muslim Student Association in the future, especially when exploring topics in Islam. With respect to our membership, we represent and can offer a vast diversity of opinions; and, with respect to UTM campus community as a whole, we are ready to assist and accommodate questions and concerns, to the best of our ability.
Sincerely,
Ruqayyah Ahdab
MSA President
I’ve come to know that the clip was not filmed by UTM/TV, but rather entirely done by a student group and then aired by UTM/TV. I apologize for the mistaken assumption on my part. I still believe the title and focus are problematic, although I respect that they are the opinions of my fellow students. Also, as there was no evidence to indicate that it was not a UTM/TV production, I urge UTM/TV to detail the credits of the pieces they post so that this mistake does not happen again. Thank you!
-Ruqayyah