US Muslims Share Islam with Campus
“The goal of [Islam Awareness Week] is to touch on a lot of misconceptions and misrepresentation of Muslims and Islam,” Western junior Nafeesa Imtiaz, Muslim Students Association club president and bicultural anthropology major, told The Western Front on Friday, May 16.
“Oftentimes students and community members don’t really have any idea what Islam is.”
The events, held over the weekend, included hosting guest speakers to address misperceptions students may have about Islam.
Hosted annually by WWU MSA, the week was launched last Monday, May 12, to correct misconceptions about Islam.
As expected, the issue of Islamic headscarf, or hijab, for women was put to discussion.
“The purpose of it is not to oppress a woman,” Imtiaz said. “Personally, I think wearing the hijab is very liberating.”
For Imtiaz herself, wearing the hijab is a form of modesty which allows her to present herself to her friends, community and family based solely on her character and personality.
Stereotypes of Muslims being violent were also addressed during the week by Western senior Danyal Lotfi, a MSA public relations coordinator and political science major.
“Being called a terrorist is a very common experience for Muslim people, especially Muslim teenagers who are in middle school and high school. I’ve heard this story all too often,” Lotfi said.
Clearing up inaccurate perceptions about Muslims is something Lotfi, as a Muslim, feels very strongly about, he said.
The week events were concluded on Friday with a dinner ceremony that gathered different students and guests.
Media Misconceptions
Islam awareness week was a way to combat ignorance and educate Western students about Islam.
“Sometimes our knowledge of Islam is based solely on media,” Imtiaz said.
“So we want to touch on that and answer any questions or address any misconceptions people have.”
The MSA students were also leading a role in uniting students from all religions and backgrounds.
A sharp example was the appointment of a non-Muslim, Western junior Cody Brower, a political science and Spanish double major, as a PR coordinator for the MSA.
Brower, who has many friends who are Muslim and has seen his friends experience other’s ignorance about Islam, encourages students to educate themselves about Islam.
The meetings and events put on by the MSA are meant to spread awareness and are inclusive for anyone who attends them.
“We don’t discriminate against anyone, and we always keep our events very general,” Imtiaz said.
“We try not to get too specific about religion where someone would feel uncomfortable or where someone would not understand what’s going on.”
Though there are no official estimates, the US is home to an estimated Muslim minority of six to eight million.
An earlier Gallup poll found that the majority of Americans Muslims are loyal to their country and optimistic about their future in the United States.
A recent survey found that American Muslims are the most moderate around the world.
It also showed that US Muslims generally express strong commitment to their faith and tend not to see an inherent conflict between being devout and living in a modern society.
Source: On Islam
