An Interview with Younes Saidani (President 2016-17)

1. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I grew up in Germany and applied to Oxford to study PPE. In 2015, my first year, I became Religious Education (RE) Chair; the year after that I decided to step up to take the role of ISoc President. After I finished my studies, I took a gap year, and then came back to Oxford to do the MPhil in Economics. When the pandemic hit, I went back to Germany and finished the rest of my degree online. Now I work as a Data Scientist in the German public sector, for the Federal Statistical Office.

2. What was your defining memory of ISoc?

I don’t think I will be able to distil my experience in ISoc into a single defining memory, rather it was the small, consistent experiences with the community that had the most significant impact on me: for example, being able to wake up in the morning and cycle to the PR with my friend Milad to pray Fajr, something I had never done before. Ramadan in Oxford also definitely sticks out: how unique and beautiful to see Muslims streaming out of the libraries and colleges, filling the roads, all making their way towards the PR at sunset! These small experiences of ISoc as a community are the ones I remember now.

3. What inspired you to run for presidency?

I originally ran for the position of VP after having enjoyed my time as RE Officer. However, we then had a situation where the presidency was left vacant, and so as the VP-elect I decided to re-run for President.

4. What was your favourite event?

My personal favourite was Shaykh Talal Al-Azem’s four-part series on Adab (good character, refined behaviour) in Michaelmas 2016. It was amazing because he did not just lecture or preach theoretically. Rather, it was clear to everybody listening that he was sharing insights that he had personally acquired and principles that he was actively enacting in his own life. This was one of those experiences where what I learnt was not specific facts and information, but rather something ... immaterial, a deeper and more penetrating type of knowledge. It was not what he said, it was how he said it that really left a mark.

5. What do you think your committee did that made you win the Federation of Student Islamic Society’s ‘Best Islamic Society’ award in 2017?

I believe ISoc had already been on an upwards path for the previous couple of years before my committee. Just before our year, the committee was expanded in size by 50%, which allowed us to further increase the number of events that we ran. Every brother and sister on the committee enriched ISoc, invested substantial time and energy, and added something unique, so insofar as this award serves as recognition, it is their effort that ought to be recognised. If I had to name particular initiatives, it would probably be the way our Treasurer Amira almost single-handedly organised Iftaar for up to 100 people in the PR while breaking even, or our successful Charity Week directed by Faisal …

But to be honest, I am somewhat averse to defining ISoc through the way it runs its events, successful and beneficial as they may be. What about those committee and community members who worked silently in the background? Just as an example, I remember how much effort our Communications Chair Sumaiyah put into creating hand-drawn poster designs for Experience Islam, one for each event. A small group of brothers regularly came to the Prayer Room and upheld the congregational prayer – thus “procuring” Divine aid for the whole community, as it were. These things are no less important.

ISoc is about forming a cohesive community of Muslims who want to grow together as individuals and do good in their lives, and all our activities are a means to that end. A committee does not need to organise an extraordinary conference, or introduce a special initiative, or indeed organise an event every other day in order to deserve an award; as long as the community remains healthy and people stay engaged.

6. Notable speakers?

If by ‘notable’ you mean ‘famous’, then – as a good PPEist – I have to again question the question: Fame in and of itself does not directly translate into impact or benefit. Shaykh Ibrahim Amin (Imam of OxCIS) may not be considered a notable speaker per se, however his regular presence in ISoc absolutely has a great impact. Lasting benefit is generated not by a one-off event with somebody really famous, but rather through regular, continuous interactions that allow you to get to know somebody and build a relationship of trust and respect. Thus, while it’s nice to have the odd notable external speakers come to ISoc, it would be a real shame if we ignored the phenomenally qualified speakers we have at our doorstep in Oxford.

Having said this, to answer your question, we were honoured to host Professor Tariq Ramadan – whose immense intellectual influence on Islam in Europe has to be acknowledged, irrespective of what one may think about recent events – during Experience Islam Week for a talk on ‘The Purpose of Life’.

7. What challenges were faced by ISoc at the time and how did you work to overcome these?

Being the first year after the expansion and restructuring of the committee, one of the key issues was that roles were not yet clearly defined. It took time, communication and consistent feedback for everyone to find their role throughout the year, and due to my own inadequacy and inexperience not everything went smoothly. Midway throughout Michaelmas Term, our VP had to resign for personal reasons, and losing her dedication and dependability was quite a challenge, even if a graduate brother with prior committee experience kindly stepped in as interim VP.

We were also somewhat heterogeneous in terms of our world views and identities. So the question arose, how do we manage these differences in a way that maintains cohesion in ISoc? I really commend the other committee members for their patience, maturity and professionalism. We dealt with all issues internally, and tried to come to a minimal compromise that we could agree on, for the sake of the community.

I think our experience taught us a really important lesson: In our religion, there is a clear hierarchy of priorities, and under no circumstances can major priorities be sacrificed for minor ones. Doing so would not only be immature and short-sighted, but actively harmful and misguided. University comes at a time when we as young adults are orienting ourselves, learning how to live, developing our identity and finding direction in life. At that time, conveying the essentials of our faith and seeing a model Islamic community in action are the most important things – so this is what ISoc should focus on, in my view. When it comes to deeper debates and differences, then every student ought to practice a level of self-restraint, and not impose certain discussions on the community. I personally observed this from a number of individuals who were much further ahead intellectually and spiritually, yet were careful to criticise in a way that would destabilise the community, and instead tried to find avenues for incremental growth. But I’ve also seen the opposite: There are unfortunate examples of other Islamic Societies in the country that perhaps didn’t have the calming, mature voices that we were blessed with, and thus broke apart and lost themselves in questions they were simply not equipped to deal with.

8. Is there anything you would have done differently? If you had more time, what else would you have done?

Before I came to Oxford, I had been quite active in several organisations, and thus gained some volunteering and management experience. As a result, my approach was very structured and heavily focused on efficiency. Many people on my committee had not had that kind of experience before (and why would they?), but it really took me a while to understand that and begin to adjust my communication and working style. Needless to say, working with a perfectionist with little understanding for different backgrounds and learning curves must have not been easy…

What I learned, and what I would have done differently, is that a leader ought to take care of others as individuals, and prioritise the welfare of volunteers over the outputs and events. People who sacrifice their time and energy for others need to be respected and cherished, that is the least they should receive back for their service.

9. In one sentence, can you summarise why ISoc is important to you?

ISoc is important to me because it shapes young Muslims at a time of mental and spiritual development like no other, and assists them in reorienting their lives towards a God-pleasing trajectory of continuous personal improvement and community service – that is, a life in pursuit of the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.