Global Intifada

Is MSA National Dead? asks Mujahideen Ryder, based on their low election turnout.

Here’s my comment:

Assalamu alaikum

If MSA National is dead, its unsurprising. As a national organization, they focused more on charismatic leadership then effective organization. They implemented a paradox: becoming a national organization through grass roots movements. We had this discussion a few years ago on the forum where I argued that MSA national needed more centralization, not decentralization since the very purpose of a national organization simply cannot incorporate grass roots movement. This is why the anti-war movement failed and this is why even once-strong organizations such as CAIR are faltering. A nationalized leadership requires centralization, not decentralization.

Also, I think the problem is their election methodology. They choose only people that have interacted with MSA national, as opposed to focusing on the leaders themselves. By focusing only on those people who have helped out with MSA national, they narrow their pool. Most interaction with MSA National occurs at the zonal level, but those positions themselves are restricted to an elite group of people, thus reaffirming the paradox of trying to be a national organization while also trying to be grass roots.

Another major problem is that MSA national lacks a unified vision for the American Muslim community, such as ISNA. They don’t want to delve into the realm of Islamic knowledge since that requires touching upon certain issues (Salafi v. Traditionalist, etc). However, dispersing knowledge is a key element of spiritual revival.

Basically, MSA National needs a major overhall.

With that said, I don’t think MSA National is dead and I don’t think its fair to judge an entire organization’s work by how active its elections are. The elections are only a once a year occurrence and MSA National participates in many events. So lets give our brothers and sisters the benefit of the doubt, inshaAllah.

masalama

Update: (6/20/07)

The problem is not the leadership and its not the MSAs, the problem is that a National organization requires a bureacracy. The problem with MSA National is that its modelled off of a typical MSA and not a national organization. The MSA model simply CANNOT function for a national organization. A national organization requires a bureacracy and paid positions. It cannot be done on a volunteer year by year position.

Thus, I’m going to have to disagree with the analogy by Amir that MSA NAT is an old man, its more like a child trying to do a fully grown man’s job. MSA National must restructure itself to become a leader for the American Muslim community.

My suggestions:

- Open elections only to those who have experience in leadership at ANY Islamic institution AND have had formal or informal study of Islam with a reliable scholar.

- Transform the organization from a volunteer basis to a paid position.

- Work on creating a national office with a bureacracy

- Move away from the Ikhwani model and move closer to a more dynamic Traditionalist model with a focus on Aqeedah, Fiqh and Tasawwuf and promoting the education of the Muslim masses.

Money: MSA National needs an independent source of financing. It can’t rely upon donations like an MSA does. Perhaps it should contact various Muslim businesses and get them to set up Awqaaf.

Management: Lastly, I think MSA National needs to tap into a different demographic for its leadership. In order to be elected, you have to have already interacted with MSA national at some level (either the executive board or as a zonal representative). I think the problem with this model is that only a very small group of people qualify for this. The average zonal representative is usually an active member of the MSA. Its unrealistic to expect college students to devote their time to their studies, their local MSA and to MSA national simultaneously. By the time they qualify for a position that is open to election, they’re probably going to be focused on graduation. The problem with this model of election is that its feigns democracy. In reality it is neither democratic nor Islamic. A true democratic model would enable all MSAs and their members to vote, instead of just their executive councils. If MSA National wants to be “grass roots” then they have to go to the people, and not through their organizations. If MSA National wants to be Islamic, then perhaps they should model their organization off of the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) and simply have a small group of leaders (such as establishing a board of trustees comprised of various ‘Ulema and community leaders. Maybe people like Shaykh Hamza Yusuf or Imam Zaid Shakir or Mufti Abdurrehman Ibn Yusuf or Shaykh Yasser Qadhi or Shaykh Muhammad al Shareef) would take the advice of the various MSAs as recommendations and select a leader through Mashwarah. However, instead of following a true grass roots movement or a truly Islamic model of appointment-with-mashwarah, MSA National has a system that is neither and, more importantly, not functional. My suggestion on this issue is that MSA Nat either goes completely grass-roots and adopts its democratic model or it goes completely Islamic and follows the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallahu alayhi wa sallam).

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