The announcement -- full of insha'allahs and salamu alikums -- of Harvard's submission to Muslim demands for women's-only nights went out to Muslims on campus at the end of last month. And the writer (Ola Alhjawhary) carefully asks if anyone cannot come during those times (in order, presumably, to provide the basis for further hours).

This will be a great inconvenience, not only to men who will, three nights a week, be denied use of the gym for several hours, but to the non-Muslim women, who make up 98% of the women students at Harvard. For only those non-Muslim women will go who want to exercise in the company of the kind of Muslim woman who takes to heart the Shari'a strictures. One can well imagine the young Benazir Bhutto reacting with disdain at such an accommodation, and in her Radcliffe youth I am certain she'd have exercised at any hour, except those hours now set aside for"[Muslim] women only."

Here's that email to fellow members of the Harvard Islamic Society from Ola Aljawhary:

"Salamu alikum everyone,

The person coordinating the women's-only gym hours at the Quad gym has just gotten back to me, and here are the days/times that have been
finalized (they are not the same ones I had sent out before...):

1. Monday 3-5 pm
2. Tuesday 8-10 pm
3. Thursday 8-10 pm

I know there are no times during the weekend, but these are the times that ended up working out. If there are any major problems with these
times (i.e. you cannot make any of these time slots), please let me know.

These women's-only hours will be in place indefinitely insha'Allah, but the coordinators will check to how usage has been to see if they can continue. I think the first check will be around Spring Break insha'Allah (3/22/08). If you can make some of these times and are interested in working out, by all means please go to the gym then! (Quad gym: 66 Garden Street)

The gym can be used by any women during these times, so please spread the word widely!

Salamu alikum,
Ola

______________________

Note, incidentally, that Ola Aljawhary expresses no gratitude to Harvard officials for having made special provisions to accommodate Muslims that will now inconvenience everyone else, but instead invokes only Allah -- "[t]hese women's-only hours will be in place indefinitely insha'Allahinsha'allah."

Note further that Ola Aljawhary is careful to alert fellow members of the Harvard Islamic Society to the need to complain if they are still not satisfied: "If there are any major problems with these times (i.e. you cannot make any of these time slots), please let me know." Presumably, armed with this ammunition, he will then go back to Harvard officials and try to get still another time slot.

But most significant is something else in his email to Harvard Islamic Society members:

"These women's-only hours will be in place indefinitely insha'Allah, but the coordinators will check to how usage has been to see if they can continue. I think the first check will be around Spring Break insha'Allah (3/22/08). If you can make some of these times and are interested in working out, by all means please go to the gym then! (Quad gym: 66 Garden Street)"

In other words, since Harvard authorities will be checking on usage, and "the first check will be around Spring Break" make sure, all you Muslimahs and fellow-travellers of those Muslimahs, even if you won't be regularly going, to show up for exercise "around Spring Break insha'Allah" so that you will be counted when Harvard "checks" on the situation.

Telling, is it not?