Honor student Batool Saad acted on her faith in her fellow community member's compassion for one another when she began the Amnesty International Club at Henry Ford Community College. Amnesty International is a non-profit organization that stands up for the human rights of all people, and has been successfully growing since English labor lawyer Peter Benensen started it in 1961.

After spending the past two years a dual enrollment student, Batool decided early on that she wanted to make the most out of her full college experience.

"I knew what I wanted to do," she said. "But like my family always tells me, 'the only way you are going to get what you want is if you do it first.'

She let Honors Director Dr. Nabeel Abraham know the passion she has for a potential career in International Humanitarian Law, which produced the idea for the Amnesty International Club. "Amnesty International helps promote individual human rights," said Batool. "It's not for any political group."

"I was raised to always help a fellow human being, and this club will help people remember what we can do for someone in trouble or imprisoned unjustly around the world."

To get the club on its way, Batool was introduced to Detroit Amnesty International coordinator Geraldine Grunow by her directed study mentor Dr. Michael Daher. "I found out what Amnesty International was, and I decided I wanted to do it," she said. "I was lucky enough to have instructors point me to the women who could help me out."

Like any club that hopes to be around for more than one or two weeks, Batool recognized her biggest obstacle- "After we got the paper work in and the constitution in, I was a little worried about the membership" - but with the surprising amount of support and interest Amnesty international received during HFCC's Welcome Back Days, Batool is confident that the club will overcome and hurdles.

It is no mystery as to why Batool would try to take on the expansion of such an impacting, world-renown organization. It is her goal to enlighten and encourage her community members on how to becomes a "citizen of the world and how to have an impact on their fellow human's life, even on a small scale." It's as simple as signing your name on a petition or writing a latter to a government body that has abused the basic freedoms of their people.

Running the club is a team effort, but as founder and president, Batool acts as an overseer at all of the club's events.

"I have such great board members, and they have taken it upon themselves to do so much. I basically help wherever I can and make sure someone is always at the table."

Although Batool was co-captain of a Relay-For-Life cancer awareness event in her high school, she considers this her big leadership break. "This is so huge because it's college, and I'm really aiming for the community. It's something that I am doing with other people, but it's something that I started."

This is the college's second attempt at becoming part of the Nobel Prize winning organization. Un-phased by a failed 2008 effort, Batool blames it on the lack of confidence in the community members who thought it was impossible. "No one is going to have the confidence at first. If you have the ambition and drive, you need to try; it just might work out. Confidence comes with time."

According to Batool, what HFCC does have now that makes it the "best place in the nation to have an Amnesty International club" is the increasing diversity of its students and staff members. She believes that now, more than ever, students will respond positively to the opportunity to be part of a growing movement that continues to objectify governmental acts that disallow the expression of individual personality.

"I've met a lot of people [on campus] that want to understand my culture and I want to understand theirs... they want the initiative to work with different people."

Batool guarantees HFCC students and community members will have the chance to put their understanding of other people's pain and suffering that are "outside their boundaries."

With the success of the club's first event, Bad Writers Week, where members wrote letters to countries that have imprisoned writers who have opposed their government, Batool ensures that, "our voice has already been heard."

So what happens to the club when the English major-hopeful transfers after she gets her associates degree? With the more and more members joining each week, Batool is confident the club will succeed in the future. "I am proud of what I've done. I know that it will be hard for someone to take on the responsibilities. But I'm sure that someone at HFCC will keep up the Amnesty International tradition."

The club meets every Tuesday, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., and students and staff members are welcome to join at any time. There are Amnesty International Club brochures all over the campus with more information for anyone interested.