I'm so excited, I just had to share

[tazatebugz1]

So some of you probably heard of Gamma Gamma Chi, the 1st Islamic sorority.. I posted a link about it to their website a few months back.. anyway I've been working on generating enough interest on campus so the board members consider Rutgers for a chapter and alhumdulillah it worked! Last night I got a call from a representative saying they are coming either at the end of this month or early March to give a gold presentation to all interested ladies at RU-NB.. That's the first step in officially establishing a chapter at the uni... Subhanallah.. I'm so glad, it's such a great way for Muslimahs (and non-) to get involved in campus life instead of being invisible aside from MSAs and such.. and I don't know about the rest of you but I don't really like the feel of the MSA here at NB.. It's so huge (which is great, alhumdulillah) but it doesn't give the chance for people, especially girls, to really connect with each other, nor does it really (often enough) integrate with the rest of the college community.. so yeah, I'm psyched!

[Hisb-ul-Rahman]

:takbir: :takbir: :takbir: awesomeness!!! that's sooo cool!! subhanAllah, may He bless you for your perseverance!

sweetness, soooo.....how will you guys induct people? lol 'islamic initiation'-memorize 40 hadith qudsi hahahaha

(ok, maybe not that funny, but I tried :) )

wa salamu alaykum

[UrLieh]

OMG MAshallah!
congratulations!!

i do have one question...

we know that there won't be haraam things going on but what about the traditional sorority life like inductions and rush week and what not. Do you kno what the procedure is for those?

[Sharifa]

Thats Too COOL! now I really Hope I get in to rutgers! awsomeness:p

[tazatebugz1]

urlieh, as far as i know, there's no real "rush" period yet but the national board is considering eventually being part of rush, but the activities will be different. there is a secret induction ceremony or something; once the gold presentation is held, you are not automatically in, but i think i read somewhere that in the period before people are selected to be members, they will have to do things, e.g. memorize suras and stuff.

[*amaney*]

urlieh, as far as i know, there's no real "rush" period yet but the national board is considering eventually being part of rush, but the activities will be different. there is a secret induction ceremony or something; once the gold presentation is held, you are not automatically in, but i think i read somewhere that in the period before people are selected to be members, they will have to do things, e.g. memorize suras and stuff.

thats awesome! thats soo good u got an Islamic alternative, cuz yo, at first i thought not being in one would be okay, but man people BUG u to join there greek whatever, and so u get kind of curious as to how it feels to be part of such a cool org that everyone feels soooo deticated abt ... so alhamdulillah theres an alternative!

imagine a :niqab: there, that would be revolutionary!!!

[tazatebugz1]

Posted on Mon, Feb. 20, 2006

Muslim students going Greek
Along with pledging, there will be prayer to Allah in the first Islam-based sorority.
By Toni Callas
Inquirer Staff Writer

Islam and sorority.

The words are so far apart on the spectrum that even Rutgers University student Amina Moghul, a Muslim, couldn't fathom the idea of pairing the staid principles of Islam with an American institution known more for its social graces than religious devotion.

But as an emerging generation of American-born Muslim women seeks to assert itself and its cultural identity, the concept is not so far-fetched.

In fact, through Gamma Gamma Chi, the nation's first Islam-based sorority, takes shape at several universities across the country, it has become a reality.

"I never knew anything like this could exist," said Moghul, a sophomore journalism and biology major from Jersey City, N.J. "I thought it was interesting. Most sororities do not appeal to Muslim women."

A Gold Presentation - a meeting that introduces students to the sorority and a precursor to the sorority's being granted a charter - could be held at Rutgers' campus in New Brunswick by the end of the semester.

There is also interest at Cheyney, Drexel, Rowan, St. Joseph's and Temple Universities, said Alitha Collins, the sorority's national president and executive director.

A chapter has started at the University of Kentucky, and one was just chartered in Atlanta. By 2015, the sorority hopes to have a chapter in every region of the country and to branch out internationally.

The brainchild of Collins' daughter Imani Abdul-Haqq, the sorority was launched in November. Abdul-Haqq, a senior at Guilford College in North Carolina, had wanted to join a sorority but couldn't find one that fit.

"I figured I wasn't the only one looking," she said.

She enlisted her mother's help. Collins - who has a background in institutional organization and was a member of Delta Sigma Theta, a historically black sorority founded in 1913 - helped her plot out the goals and the mission of the new endeavor.

"We focus on sisterhood, networking, leadership, philanthropy and service, like other sororities," Collins said. "The difference is the guiding principle is Islamic values."

That means no beer, boys or parties. Gamma Gamma Chi will adhere to Sunnah, the body of Islamic custom and practice based on Muhammad's words and deeds.

Muslim women of varying ethnic backgrounds and levels of devotion are welcome to apply. Non-Muslims can join, too, as long as they follow the Islamic principles.

Salat, or prayers, will be held before every meeting. And although a Greek-letter organization in name, Gamma Gamma Chi does "not engage in doctrines that are traditionally associated with 'Greek life,' " according to the sorority Web site. "We adhere to activities that coincide with Sharia (Islamic law)."

That does not mean strict compliance, Collins said. Hijab, the practice of covering up in headdress and robe, is optional.

That's not a problem for the Rutgers women. On a recent day, their dress varied from the traditional to long skirts and long-sleeve sweaters to jeans.

Dressed in a head scarf and an A-line denim dress that dusted the top of her feet, American-born Palestinian Miriam Abushaban, 18, sat in Moghul's sunlit apartment on Rutgers' Busch campus. The prospects of the sorority excited her.

"It's all about spreading Islam," Abushaban said as she sat among 20 or so other women wishing out loud about being the third - or Gamma - chapter of the sorority. (Gamma is the third letter in the Greek alphabet.)

Since the 9/11 attacks, Muslims have been battling negative stereotypes. Abushaban said she hoped the sorority could help counter that and boost the image of women.

"I also think that non-Muslims who have a misconception of Islam can get a better understanding of us," she said. "Let them see that as women we are not as oppressed as they think. We can be leaders just like men can."

For sophomore Bisi Lawal, 19, values held in common, such as adherence to Islamic law, are essential.

"I'm hoping, I really am, that it would hold up the virtues of Islam," said Lawal, who is from Houston. "I really need that. I want lessons. I see it as almost a rebirth of my soul. I want to learn from these women."

Lawal was one of the women e-mailed by Moghul, who decided late last year to try to form a Gamma Gamma Chi chapter at Rutgers. She needed to get 10 eligible members before national officers could make a Gold Presentation on campus. Candidates must have completed at least one semester at an accredited college or university and carry at least a 3.2 grade point average.

Once the sorority obtains its charter, it then applies to the university for recognition, as all campus groups must do. Separately, the women can decide whether to apply for membership in a larger Panhellenic organization.

The diversity of the group that Moghul brought together is a positive ingredient, said Zeena Tabbaa-Rida, an independent researcher who wrote her dissertation at Rutgers on "Muslim Women Reflecting on American Education." Through interviews with 14 Muslim women attending Rutgers in 2004, she found that, by college age, they are much more confident about who they are and their place in the world. And like Abushaban, they want to erase stereotypes.

In an interview, Tabbaa-Rida cautioned against the sorority's becoming only a safe haven, urging the women to use Gamma Gamma Chi as an opportunity to build bridges, "putting their hand in their non-Muslim counterparts' to serve their larger communities."

"This organization has a powerful message to send in showing how Muslim women are concerned about global issues and community life," Tabbaa-Rida said. "It is great to see how these young women internalize their Islamic values that emphasize community service."

The sorority has done charitable work in the community already. In October in Greensboro, N.C., it provided an iftar, a meal for Muslims breaking their daily fast during Ramadan. One hundred iftar participants donated canned goods and other nonperishable items to a shelter for battered women.

Their goal is to get involved with other charity services, such as relief efforts for the Pakistan earthquake last year and "adopting" schools to get children involved in Islamic awareness, Collins said.

The Scoop on Gamma Gamma Chi

The sorority, launched in November, stresses Muslim principles. Women at several area universities - including Rutgers, Cheyney, Drexel, Rowan, St. Joseph's and Temple - have shown interest in starting chapters.

Motto: "Striving for the pleasure of Allah through sisterhood, scholarship, leadership and community service."

Headquarters: Alexandria, Va.

Leadership: Alitha Collins is president and executive director. Imani Abdul-Haqq is vice president and assistant director.

For more information:Visit http://gammagammachi.org or e-mail info@gammagammachi.org.

[*amaney*]

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!

MASHAALLAH!!!

I am soo happy for you Rutgers gurls Amina, MashaAllah Allahu Akbar :takbir:

Here is the picture in my head of the members...

:hijab2: :) :niqab: