I have a confession to make, unlike most student officers I did not enter the student movement because of debts, or top up fees, it wasn't the campaign for free education or the increased marketisation of education and course closures that convinced me to be part of the student movement. Although these things effected my education, meant that I was working in a 'part time' job more than I was studying, they were challenges which I had wrongly learnt to live with. What convinced me to enter the student movement was a far greater challenge, one that affected my every day life, from the moment I woke up to the moment I slept, when I applied for a job or when I met new people - my identity. From the first news paper I ever picked up, till now Muslims living in Britain were being 'scrutinised', 'discussed' or more appropriately attacked. I always felt that I had to justify my existence. Now I am not one to play 'the victim card' and to be honest I doubt I have ever expressed these feeling before, but recently I have begun to lose a great deal of faith in the society we live in and the events unfolding around the world.

When I started working within NUS, NUS was siding with sections of the right-wing media and society in attacking Muslims and other religious and ethnic minorities. Muslims had no representation. To cut a long story short, that has changed dramatically now. Though we still have some way to go, but NUS has sincerely become more inclusive, and this has lead me to want to focus my efforts on other campaigns. It was my dream come true when I was given the responsibility of Soc&Cit this year, I had sincerely hoped that I could have played a role in the Education campaign this year, and I am deeply upset I haven't. however as I will explain, I have felt more and more pessimistic and frightened about the future of religious and ethnic minorities in Britain that I sensed I should work elsewhere.

The war on Lebanon started it. Once again we saw the 'civilised' world remain silent as hundreds of thousands of civilians were being murdered. Ironically that wasn't the most depressing thing about it, the twisted belief that Israel was justified and that Hizbollah had started this war was what was stomach ranching. As the Swedish PM rightly stated, the scale of the military operation was so precise and huge that it could not have been a reaction executed 48 hours after the kidnapping of SOLDIERS who were ILLEGALLY on LEBANESE land - it must have been planned before. The withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, a few months before must rank in the top ten of all time 'coincidences' leaving a country to be defended by Hizbollah.

John Reid who then decided that the largest problem facing Britain's youth was coming from within the Muslim community and Muslim youths' innate inclination to blow themselves up was another turning point. Forgetting the staggering rate of teenage pregnancies, alcohol and drug abuse, sexual diseases, underperformance in schools, and crime rates that haunt Britain's teenagers, it seemed that 'Comrade Reid' decided to 'advise' Muslims on how to bring up their children.

Then came the comments by Jack Straw, who was then joined by a long queue of ministers (the length of Bliar's nose) who all decided that a piece of cloth was the main reason for divisions in Britain. I wonder if David Blunket feels that he isn't properly integrated because he can't see peoples faces, if you want to have an honest debate about the veil why not ask a white Caucasian woman convert to Islam what she thinks? Or maybe once she started wearing the veil we should have withdrawn her citizenship? Or perhaps she suddenly felt that she wasn't 'British' the moment she started praying five times a day.

I was a Labour candidate in the local elections, myself and two other gentlemen stood for the three seats in the Uxbridge South ward. A few days before polling day I received a call from an elderly lady, she told me she lived in the area and had received a leaflet for the elections - at once I mentally prepared an apology as I thought she was going to complain for receiving them as many people have 'no mass mailing' on their doors. However it turned out quiet the opposite, she was calling to tell me that my two 'comrades' were distributing fliers omitting my name from the candidates list whilst high-lighting theirs. Collectivism in action! I wish I could say it was a personality issue; however I had only ever met the two other candidates briefly.

These are just a sample of incidents of things that have made me re-assess where I should be working and focusing my efforts. The media has forever been our primary source of information, it's a pity that in recent times a large part of it has been monopolised and manipulated by a select few who appear to be more concerned with attacking Islam and Muslims whilst painting Israel with the whitest shade of black - though they shall fail. For this reason I have decided to work for Al Jazeera English - the new English language news channel to be launched on the 15th of this month. Many of you would have heard of the Arabic channel, and I sincerely hope that you will start watching the English channel in order to see a different version of world events, hearing different voices and seeing different images. I sincerely hope that this venture will change the way we think about Muslims and Arabs and that it changes society as a whole, ridding us of the crippling misconceptions we have been fed for years and opening out hearts to each other.

I am sincerely upset that I will not complete my tenure on the NEC, and apologise profusely to all those who voted for me, or who wished for me to represent them on the NEC. However I must say, that was it not for the immensely encouraging work the Gemma has done since taking office, I would have found it extremely difficult to leave.

The Prophet Mohammad peace be upon him once said, whoever does not thank people, Allah will never thank them. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who I have met, and worked with in the student movement, knowing I will not be able to remember or mention them all. However a special thanks to Louise Hutchins, Helen Salmon and Bilal Khafaf; three people who I will forever remember, they were the first people to introduce me to NUS, and I remember watching with admiration as they stood firmly for what they believed in despite the odds. Peter Leary, a man who I have the utmost respect for, although we have not always seen eye to eye, and recently disagreed, I have learnt a great deal from him and I hope that we can one day forget some of the past. Kat Fletcher, it takes real humility to admit when one is wrong, and I believe her change in views and politics exemplified that, regardless of what people say I firmly believe her politics changed out of principle and not opportunism. Pav Akhtar, despite our disagreements, Pav is one of the only people I know who sincerely fought for true representation and against racism, I wish him all the success in the future. Joe Rukin, Veronica King and Ellie Russell, in an age where honesty has unfortunately become a relative term, they are undoubtedly three of the most honest people I have worked with in NUS. Andy our National Director, Tee, Madile, Vic and all the staff at NUS in particular events, without who NUS would be nothing. All the NEC members I served with and other student officers, in particular the previous president of Bournemouth whose name I cannot remember, but who took the time to email me her support for a motion and her disappointment and disgust at the way it was hijacked and sabotaged during national conference. Last but by no means least FOSIS, and all its members, for giving me the confidence to hold my head up high as a Muslim and the opportunity to defend Muslim students, I pray that I managed to fulfill the expectations placed on me, and hope that FOSIS grows from strength to strength.

Finally I would like to ask anyone who I may have offended or upset that they forgive me, and I hope to return once again and be part of the most wonderfully captivating student movement in the world.

I hereby resign my post on the NUS NEC.

Yours

Jamal El-shayyal

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