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Organizations, presenters hope to bridge the gap

NMU Muslim awareness forum

Dr. Keith Kendall head of Northern Michigan University’s History Department discusses myths about the Islamic faith during a Muslim Awareness Forum on campus on Friday. (Journal Photo by Lisa Bowers)

MARQUETTE — Dozens of students, educators and community members attended a Muslim Awareness forum at Northern Michigan University Friday.

The purpose of the forum, which was hosted by the Multicultural Education and Resource Center, Philosophy Professor Golam Azam and the Muslim Student Association, was to educate attendees about the history of Islam and other monotheistic religions — as well as dispel myths about Muslims and the Islamic faith.

Dr. Keith Kendall, head of the Department of History at NMU said monotheistic religions, those that worship one God or Creator, contain many similarities.

Kendall’s presentation focused on the evolution of Islam in comparison to Judaism and Christianity, including the similarities between the three faiths.

Each of the three religions relies on five commonalities, according to Kendall, which include some form of revelation, covenant, prophetic tradition, messianic expectations and written scriptures.

Part of the covenant of each religion is faithfulness versus unfaithfulness, Kendall said.

“Each religion believes that God rewards faithfulness and punishes unfaithfulness,” Kendall said.

One of the basic differences in the three faiths, Kendall said, is how each sees the role of Jesus of Nazareth.

“Christianity sees Jesus as a God, whereas Muslims and those who practice Judaism see him as a prophet,” Kendall said.

Other differences include rituals, the roles of spiritual and religious leaders, and the the roles of religion in government.

Kendall said while Muslims observe a holy day on Friday, for those who practice Judaism, Saturday is the Sabbath, and Christians worship on Sunday.

NMU Senior Samantha Johnson, who helped to coordinate the even­­t, said the goal was to educate people about Muslims and their way of life.

“In light of what is currently going on in the country, this event will hopefully alter some of the misconceptions and stereotypes people might have about Muslims,” Johnson said.

Dr. Carter Wilson, head of the Political Science Department at NMU, addressed 10 myths about Muslims in society including the myth that asserts Barack Obama was the first U.S. President to be accused of being a Muslim.

Wilson said Thomas Jefferson, an early proponent of religious freedoms, was accused of being a Muslim by political opponents.

There were hundreds or perhaps thousands of Muslims in the U.S. in 1776, people who were brought in as slaves from areas of Africa where Islam flourished, Wilson said.

“One of the biggest misconceptions about studying western history is assuming that western culture emerged in complete isolation from the rest of the world,” Wilson said. “The fact is that Islam has a long rich history in this country, from the very beginning.”

The cultures of the world are very connected throughout history, Wilson said, with Muslim scholars translating the works of Greek philosophers to Arabic, which resulted in the works being transmitted into Europe.

“There has been a tremendous exchange of information, ideas, literature, and Islam itself has a very rich intellectual history,” Wilson said.

He also touched on other popular misconceptions, including the idea that the Islamic culture is inherently oppressive to women.

“You only need to look to the number of Islamic women elected as heads of state,” Wilson said.

Indonesia, Bangledesh, Pakistan, Senegal, and Turkey are among Muslim countries where women have served as national leaders.

Wilson said another prevalent myth about Islam is that it is inherently violent and terrorist groups like al-Qaida and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL are products of Islam. Political factors, foreign occupation and power struggles over oil rights in countries like Iran in the 1950s gave rise to fudamentalist groups, he said.

“The fundamentalists were rabid anti-communist, anti-socialist, and we enabled them to rise,” Wilson said. “And of course we know what happened in Afganistan. We enabled the Muslim fundamentalists in Afganistan with all the money because they were going to fight the Soviet Union.”

Wilson said the motivation for Middle East terrorism has less to do with Islamic fundamentalism and more to do with “occupational sprawl.”

“The Quran is inherently nonviolent,” Wilson said.

Umair Riyas, president of the NMU’s Muslim Student Association, said the forum was an important opportunity for people to understand more about the Muslim faith.

“We are just peaceful,” Riyas said. “We are another person shopping in the same grocery, basically.”

Riyas said the majority of Muslims who hear about terrorist attacks condemn them.

“They will definitely say the people who commit these atrocious crimes are definitely not Muslims,” Riyas said. “Even though they want to say they are Muslims. We as the majority will condemn their actions.”

Riyas said sometimes the mainstream media connects an attack to Islam before all of the facts are in.

“The person who did this had an Islamic name or a Muslim name, believing he will bring betterment to the world, but he’s not,” Riyas said. “He is just creating more disunity, and creating more problems for those of us that really want to make things better.”

Riyas said he hopes to see more forums, but sometimes, bridging the gap could be as simple as a question or a conversation.

“Obviously involvement is a big thing. Just talking to people. If you see a Muslim, and have a question, just ask. Keeping your distance and being afraid is not going to solve anything,” Riyas said.

Riyas said anyone wanting more information about the Muslim Student Association can call him at 906- 360-9071.

Lisa Bowers can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. Her email address is lbowers@miningjournal.net.

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