Bringing awareness of Islamic culture at Florida International University

Rasa - This week, Florida International University will host Islam Awareness Week which aims at introducing non-Muslim students to the various aspects of Islamic culture.

News ID: 663

Date: 05 March 2014 - 18:24

Rasa News Agency reports - According to the Pew Research Centre, 55% of the American people feel that they do not know much about Islam.

“For a Muslim in the U.S., especially with how the media portrays Muslims, it’s tempting to want to hide your religion,” said Farouq Farouq, the president of the Muslim Student Association at FloridaInternationalUniversity. “Joining MSA helped me stand up for my religion.”

“Luckily for converts like me, Muslim Students Association National began a project in early 1990s by the name of Islam Awareness Week. During this week, local Muslim Student Associations provide campuses with resources and activities to help people better understand Islam.”

According to Farouq, “Since it’s Islamic Awareness Week, we are gearing it towards the entire University community. We want to focus on more contemporary issues that are prevalent in the world,” said the senior biology major.

“Now, in respect to what’s happening in Syria and Palestine, we thought it best to have someone talk about foreign policy and Islam,” he added.

Converts to Islam will also discuss their conversion to Islam stories, which many students, including those born into Muslim families, find very interesting.

“I’m always interested in hearing [convert stories] to better understand their struggles and help them get used to things. Some family members may stop talking to them and they need people they can go to for comfort,” student Kamal Muhammad said.

“Whether you know nothing about Islam, or a lot, I recommend you attend because when 23 percent of the world’s population is Muslim, not knowing enough about it is a problem,” Farouq added.

111/112