The Muslim Student Association is working hard to change people’s perceptions of Islam as a religion of peace, rather than one of terrorism.
Every Tuesday at 1 p.m., the organization sets up a table on the library lawn, with pamphlets about their religion. Each pamphlet discusses important beliefs of their religion, such as the history of the Prophet Muhammad and the value of worship in Islam. There is also an important pamphlet which describes how the word “Jihad” has been used in the media to conjure up images of violent Muslims.
Muhammad Kara’ali, a 21-year-old graphic artist, is an information organizer for the Muslim Student Association. He said that the group wants to encourage people to learn that Muslims are peaceful people in real life.
“We’re here to educate people with information about Islam, to educate them so that they don’t get any misconceptions about Islamic people,” Kara’ali said. “We want to be in public to show people who Muslims really are, so that they see that we are just ordinary people and not what people see on TV.”
Kara’ali said that Americans really need a better understanding of what Islam is really about.
“The media is the one who is connecting Islam with terrorism and often keeps people misinformed about Islam,” Kara’ali said. “It doesn’t make sense, because Islam really means peace. And so it doesn’t make sense that Islam is seen as terrorism.”
Maram Abdullwahab, a 20-year-old psychology major, is the vice president of the Muslim Student Association. She said that the group will hand out shawls for women on Oct. 19 to wear on Hijab Day.
A hijab is a head covering which most Muslim women wear on their head everyday. According to Abdullwahab, women can wear a hijab on Tuesday to experience life for one day as a Muslim. They can also come to the Muslim Student Association’s meeting on Wednesday, to share their own experience wearing a hijab.
“You will be able to share new experiences about how people perceive you when you are wearing the shawl,” Abdullwahab said. “On Wednesday, you can come to the group meeting and tell people how it really felt as a Muslim woman. Whether people saw you differently.”
According to “Status of Women in Islam” pamphlet from the Muslim Student Association, the Western world erroneously perceives Islam as a religion that subjugates womenfolk. In real life, women have as much of a right as men to own property and to earn an education.
Abdullwahab said that people often learn all these misconceptions about Muslim people from the mass media.
“People take their information from the wrong sources,” Abdullwahab said. “They take it from the mass media, when they should be taking their information from the Qu’ran. They should read the Qu’ran, so that they can understand our religion more.”
Muhammad Foores, a 25-year-old psychology major, is a member of the Muslim Student Association. Foores said that Islam is the best thing in the world.
“Everything about it just values the human being in its natural form,” Foores said.
Foores said that the media too often manipulates people into thinking that Islam is a religion of violence.
“People take their view of Islam through how the media portrays us, which is wrong,” Foores said. “We have to change people’s perceptions by changing ourselves, so that we can be a positive example. To show positivity.”
