U.S. Muslims aim to dispel negative stereotypes

[sonz]

The Muslim Student Association and Al-Madinah Cultural Center in Minnesota launched an Islamic Awareness week to clarify misconceptions about Islam and dispel negative stereotypes of Muslims, the Minnesota Daily reported.

Organizers say the Islam Awareness Week, to be hald at the University of Minnesota , is not only a campus event, but also is recognized nationally.

“Islam is the religion of peace, and we would like to present that idea and (that Muslims) are peaceful Americans,” said Muslim Student Association President Mus’ab Husaini. “We are as peaceful and democratic and peace-loving as any other people.”

This week is important because students have the opportunity to learn and get beyond the Muslim stereotypes depicted in the media, Husaini said, adding that the organizers hope to clarify all misconceptions about Islam and Muslims.

One those misconceptions, for example, is that Muslim women are oppressed because of the way they dress, but that isn’t the case, said Muslim Student Association Vice President Ayan Ali. Also media portrayal of a few Muslims as terrorists make it seem as though all Muslims are terrorists, but that’s not true, she added.

“People need to open their eyes and be more objective when they want to learn about Islam, and TV is not the only place to look for their knowledge,” Ali said.

Islam Awareness Week isn’t the only time non-Muslims should try to learn about the Islamic religion, the unfairness of the Patriot Act or the truth behind the negative stereotypes, Ali said.

Rather, people should try to learn about Islam anytime they are able to. “With Islam you don’t need to go read a book about it, you need to experience it,” she said.

A non-Muslim art senior, Kim Jurek, said she decided to attend the event after she heard Imam Johari Abdul-Malik’s speech on Minnesota Public Radio on Monday morning.

Jurek said the issue of Patriot Act sounded really interesting, and because she wasn’t Muslim, she thought it would be a good opportunity to learn something new.

In his opening speech, Imam Abdul-Malik strongly denounced terrorism. “Terrorism knows no religion,” he said. “It is not part of any of our traditions.”

Imam Abdul-Malik also criticized the Patriot Act, saying that it unfairly targets Muslims and that there are numerous examples of American Muslims who have been denied their rights through wiretapping and unwarranted searches of homes as part of the act’s measures.

Imam Johari Abdul-Malik is well-known for his work as the Muslim chaplain at Howard University in Washington and was the first Muslim to be officially appointed as a chaplain in higher education at Howard. He is also the head of the National Association of Muslim Chaplains in Higher Education.