Even in America’s Mecca, a need for education and understanding of Islam

Even in America’s Mecca, a need for education and understanding of Islam
by Lauren E. Bohn
Oct 06, 2009

Lauren E. Bohn/MEDILL
About half of the people who showed up for an evening of prayer and food at the opening of Islam Awareness Week on Monday were Muslim, which means half were not.
The non-Muslim numbers, organizers said, were up from previous years.
Jennie van den Boogaard, a freshman in Northwestern’s Asian and Middle Eastern Studies department, counts herself among the non-Muslim half.
"Given today’s politics, I can’t imagine studying anything else," she said.

Van den Boogaard was one of about 80 students, many curious to know more about Muslim life, who listened to guest scholar Mufti Hussain Kamani explain the Five Pillars of Islam, the foundation of the Muslim experience.

The education is necessary.
A Pew Research Center survey, released last month, found that Americans see Muslims as facing more discrimination inside the U.S. than any other major religious group. The poll also found that two-thirds of non-Muslims – 65 percent – say Islam and their own faith are either very different or somewhat different, while just 17 percent take the view that Islam and their own religion are somewhat or very similar.
The survey underscores the goals of the week’s organizers.
"We’re not saying people are ignorant," said Atiya Haque, Muslim-cultural Students Association co-president. "We’re just trying to make 1.2 billion people in the world a bit more visible."

Another participant agreed.
"People generally don’t know much about Islam, but luckily our generation is curious," said Goher Mahmud, a doctoral student who led the night’s prayer.
"Tonight’s prayer service may have been the first time many people have seen Muslims praying," he said. "And there are, what, 1 billion Muslims around the world?"
Haque notes that since 9/11, she often finds herself fielding questions about Islam. The most frequent inquiries emanate from a perceived gender inequality in the religion.
"Though it seems so clichéd," she said, "this week is about showing people it’s not 'us' versus 'them.'"

With roughly 400,000 Muslims, Chicago is regarded as one of the largest and most dynamic and influential communities in the United States.

Gerald Hankers, outreach coordinator of Chicago’s Council on American-Islam Relations, said Chicago is known as America’s Mecca -- the perfect classroom to learn about an oft-misinterpreted religion.

Islam Awareness Week will also focus on Northwestern’s student endeavor to create an Islamic Studies Program at the university.

The student initiative began last year, calling for the creation of an academic program dedicated to fostering a complete understanding of the religion through a multidisciplinary lens.

"Islam is a global religion – one of the fastest growing – and without a program dedicated to a complete understanding of an otherwise misunderstood faith, we are undermining our understanding," said Dulce Acosta-Licea, Northwestern senior and Islamic Studies Program Committee Chair.

"And that's the last thing we need to be doing right now," she said.

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The Five Pillars of Islam
1. Testimony of faith (Shahaadah): Fundamental to a Muslim's spiritual life is the declaration of faith: "There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is the messenger of Allah."
2. Prayer (Salat): Muslims perform five prayers a day.
3. Almsgiving (Zakat): Muslims give a small percentage of their annual savings as alms or charity.
4. Fasting (Sawm): During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunup to sundown.
5. Pilgrimage (Hajj): The annual pilgrimage to Mecca is an obligation once in a lifetime for those who are physically and financially able to perform it.