Aiming to dispel negative stereotypes regarding their faith, University of Arizona (UA) Muslim students are reaching out to their peers through an Islam awareness campaign set to run the week of April 20-24.
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“I am very passionate about my religion, and this event gives me the opportunity to show people who Muslims really are,” senior student Asim Zehri, a physiology major and president of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), told The Daily Wildcat.
According to organizers, the annual event, which comes amid unprecedented levels of anti-Muslim sentiment in the west, aims to dispel misconceptions surrounding Muslims and promote the true-face Islam.
UA students will have an opportunity to learn about Islamic culture, wear traditional clothes and enjoy delicious food during the event.
“I decided to get involved, because as a Muslim and as a Saudi Arabian, I feel that we can never do enough in the way of clarifying misconceptions that revolve around Islam,” Hala Alwagdani, a senior studying geology and Middle Eastern and North African studies, said.
The “Islamic Art & Calligraphy" event, organized to teach students how to write calligraphy, was held on Monday at the Mesquite Room in the Student Union Memorial Center.
Tuesday's event, “Women’s Rights & Hijab Day,” proposes to raise awareness about the rights of women in Islam.
“The rights of women in Islam is a hugely controversial topic, and often, people seem to ignore the dialogue of Muslim women themselves, especially those who criticize the religion," Azba Khan, a senior studying molecular and cellular biology and Middle Eastern and North African studies, said.
On her part, Alwagdani said: "I would like to see if anyone would venture to try the Hijab … and to learn what kind of experiences and reactions [they found from] friends and strangers.”
This year's Islam Awareness campaign will also tackle several issues that affect the lives of millions of American Muslims.
On Wednesday, members of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) will host a session discussing “Jihad in the Modern Day”.
Thursday will be dedicated to discussing how Islam is presented by mainstream media.
Zehri added that he is looking forward to this event in particular because “people have the misconception that Muslim organizations or leaders of the religion do not denounce many of the corruption that is done in the name of Islam.”
“This event will clarify this misunderstanding.”
MSA students will also highlight the contributions of Muslims in America.
“I feel people who are Islamophobic have never really met a Muslim, and that’s one of the purposes [for] having Islam Awareness Week,” Zehri stated.
“So that people can have the opportunity to converse with Muslims and grasp the correct understanding of who we really are.”
On Friday, participants will be invited to tour a mosque and listen to a sermon by guest speaker Sheikh Khaled Alazhary, at the Islamic Center of Tucson.
“I believe Islamophobia is not just the fear of Islam, but it is the fear about learning the truth about Islam. … I think some people are afraid to learn that what they have been conditioned to think about Islam may actually be wrong, that maybe what they have been listening to on the news may not be the truth.
“Blindly accepting what we are told by unreliable people is the biggest mistake in society. We need to take advantage of the sources and intellect we have and challenge the ignorance in society with knowledge,” Khan said.
Since the 9/11 attacks, US Muslims, estimated between 6-8 million, have complained of discrimination and stereotyping in their communities due to their Islamic attire or identities.
An Economist/YouGov poll found that a 73 percent of Americans believe that US Muslims are victims of discrimination amid recent attacks against the community.
