Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
Muslims should positively and actively engage in their societies and participate in events that don’t violate Islamic rulings.
Answering your question, Dr. Wael Shehab, PhD in Islamic Studies from Al-Azhar University and currently the Imam of the Downtown Toronto Masjid in Canada, states:
In fact, you are to actively participate in the educational and social events that gather you with your colleagues, students, relatives, etc. as long as you don’t violate the ethics and rulings of the Shari`ah.
A Muslim is not allowed to sit on a table where alcohol or any haram (impermissible) drink is served. So, you can simply inform your colleagues of your wish to sit on a table on which alcohol and impressible drinks are not served.
For sure, they will respect your wish. You can tell them about some significant reasons for the prohibition of such drinks in Islam.
It is your duty, dear sister, to set a good example for all your colleagues and students in faithfulness, loyalty, cooperation, morality, etc. Spare no efforts to translate the Islamic teachings into practice. This way, you will introduce Islam to them by means of your good behavior and ethics.
Almighty Allah knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.