The Pendulum
Elon, North Carolina • Wednesday, November i8, 2015 * Volume 41 Edition 28
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Students support Syria
Letters to NCgovernor criticize rejiigee decision
MALI TAUXE I Photo Ediior
Freshman Colton Cadarette sends an email to Gov. Pat McCrory urging him to reconsider his decision blocking Syrian refugees in the state.
Caroline Fernandez
News Editor
With three iPads, a
computer and two mo
bile ' smartphones at
Tuesday’s College Cof
fee, a small group of stu
dent? hoped to make a
change and make their
voices heard.
The students are Core
members — members of
the executive staff— of a
recently formed Elon or
ganization called Speak
Out for Syria (SOS), a
group whose mission, is
to raise awareness and
funds for the refugee cri
sis in Syria.
“I feel like people are
interested in learning and
hearing about the issue,”
said Albert Waters, SOS
president. “Some stu
dents might not follow
the news so this organi
zation and our mission
gives them a way to be
better informed.”
See SYRIA
pages 4
Remembering
Demitri Allison
Gatherings celebrate
life of Elon junior
Tommy Hamzik
Managing Editor
No one said anything, because no one
knew what to say.
No cameras flashed. No cellphones
glowed. The only lights were the streetlights
and the dozens of
candles brought by
those in attendance,
and of the shooting
star one person saw
as he arrived.
Gathered in
remembrance of
junior Demitri
Allison, a wide
receiver on the Elon
University football
team, hundreds
stood in silence.
Then, they
prayed. They held
hands. They cried.
They remem
bered their friend,
teammate and
classmate hours
after he committed suicide, according
to a UNC Police report, by holding an
impromptu midnight candlelit vigil outside
the stadium he used to play on Saturday
afternoons.
SeeALUSON
pages 8-9
Demitri Allison
New normal: Road
win gives football
team temporary
escape from
reality pg. 7
Editorial: Speak now,
not later pg. 10
Mosque to open near campus in Buriington
Plans reflect growing Muslim population in North Carolina
Simone Jasper
Assistant News Editor
As the Muslim communi
ty in North Carolina grows,
a local .group is planning to
start a mosque in Burlington.
The board of directors for the
proposed worship center —
Burlington Masjid — is set
to buy a building on South
Mebane Street in January.
Arshad Sheikh, member of
the mosque’s board of directors,
said the number of Muslims liv
ing in Burlington has grown in
the past decade, and community
members believed they should
start a worship center.
“Right now, there’s a commu
nity center that we temporarily
use as a mosque,” Sheikh said.
“The community decided we
should have a mosque, so a cou-
HALI TAUXE | Photo Ediior
This building, a former church, is slated to be the site of a new mosque in
Burlington.
pie of years ago we sat together
and started planning it.”
According to the U.S.
Religion Census, an estimated
26,000 Muslims lived in North
Carolina in 2010— a 29 percent
increase from the number of
Muslims living in the state 10
years earlier.
To address the expansion in
this area, the mosque’s board
of directors plans to spend
S650,000 to buy and renovate
a church building at 1908 S.
Mebane St. The approximate
ly 10,000-square-foot space
includes a prayer space and
a two-story building housing
classrooms, a library, a kitchen
and a multipurpose hall.
The mosque group estimates
that renovations will end in
June or July. To gain money
for the building and renovation
costs, Burlington Masjid has
held fundraisers and requested
donations from people at other
mosques in North Carolina.
The Burlington Masjid also
plans to expand its free clin
ic program, Al-Aqsa Clinic.
Through the existing program,
doctors volunteer free care twice
a month.
“We’re planning to merge
the clinic with the mosque,”
Sheikh said. “Every Saturday,
there will be a free clinic for
anyone who doesn’t have insur
ance or enough money to go to
the hospital.”
Anna Torres-Zeb, Muslim
Life coordinator at Elon
University, said she hopes stu
dents of different faiths can
volunteer together at the clinic
and with other programming
the mosque might offer.
“It’s a great opportunity for
all students on campus to get
involved,” Torres-Zeb said. “It’s
good to volunteer with people
from all backgrounds.”
Torres said the mosque will
allow Muslim students to wor
ship closer to Elon — instead of
in Greensboro or Durham.
“For students on campus,
it’s very beneficial,” Torres-Zeb
said. “It’s a smaller population,
so we can’t do all the program
ming that [universities] with a
larger mass of population can
do.”
NEWS
Local group aims to
change perception of
confederate flag
pg. 5
STYLE
Elon senior interns in
U\, gains fanbase on
Youtube pg. 12
SPORTS
Men’s soccer to host
Winthrop in NCAA
Tournament pg. 16