SIUE Celebrates Muslim Awareness Day
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What is the most racially and ethnically diverse religious community in America? The answer was given at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Muslim Awareness Day on Tuesday, Dec. 1 in the Morris University Center Goshen Lounge.
“The answer is Islam,” said Stephen Tamari, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Historical Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).
The Awareness Day was meant to provide SIUE students with the opportunity to interact with Muslim students and learn about Islam. The event’s activities included a discussion panel, which discussed Islam within historical and philosophical contexts. The panel featured Saba Fatima, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy; Tamari, and Hamzah Abdulatif Hamad, a junior in CAS.
“How many Muslims are there in America?’ Tamari also asked the audience. “Approximately 1 percent of the population in America is Muslim, but that number is growing.”
Other activities included an “Ask a Muslim” table and a hijab challenge. The hijab, which means covering, is a veil which covers the head and chest and is sometimes worn by some Muslim women. The challenge made scarves available so women could experience fashioning and wearing a hijab.
The event was coordinated by SIUE’s Arabic Club, SUIE’s Muslim Students Association and SIUE’s Saudi Association.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of more than 14,000.
Photo:
Ramsha Khan Durrani (left) a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore from Pakistan, helps fix the hijab on Naomi Swiney, a student studying at ERTC.
