 "Photo: Ryan Calacsan")
At this year's Islam Awareness week, UIC's Muslim Student Association (MSA) brought guest speakers to present various topics, quizzed students for fun with "Islamic Jeopardy" and, most importantly, attempted to increase their fellow students' understanding of one of the world's fastest growing religions, Islam.
"We're breaking the stereotypes people have in their minds," said Bushrah Bakhsh, a fourth-year economics major.
"As Muslims, it's our job to stand up for our religion. It [Islam Awareness Week] is going to present a fair image," said Bakhsh.
Throughout the week, the MSA was a noted presence across the campus, especially in Student Center East. Lectures and speeches, such as "Islam 101," "A Day in the Life of a Muslim Student" and "Hijab: The Greatest Honor Given to Women" were held each day during the week.
An exhibit featuring Muslim holiday celebrations was on display Wednesday, and a recitation of the Quran, the Muslim sacred text, was held on Thursday. The week's events were rounded out with a Friday sermon in the Rathskeller.
The most important goal of Islam Awareness Week was "to create an environment where people can ask questions," Bakhsh stated. "We're not here to convert anyone. We want you to understand our religion."
The MSA also emphasized helping students to understand their peers and dispelling myths and stereotypes about Islam.
"It's not always in numbers," said student Ivana Zajkobska, "as long as you made someone realize that they held to untruthful stereotypes."
"To me, success is someone getting comfortable approaching Muslims with questions," said Aminah Yassin, a first-year communication disorders major. "It's about understanding what we do, and how we do it. It brought more unity to the campus."
The yearly event, taking place in the first week of February, was a success not only because of the people who attended events got the free hot chocolate or listened to a lecture about Islam's greatest prophet, Muhammad: it was a resounding success because it increased open dialogue between all students across campus about a religion that many make assumptions about, but rarely take the time to honestly study.
Be the first to comment on this article!