News > October 9, 2008

By Wasif Huda | Staff writer

The university Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) had its first public event Oct. 7 in DeTamble Auditorium. There was a showing of a renowned documentary titled Muhammad: The Legacy of a Prophet followed by a student-led panel discussion, consisting of five members from the MSA. “The documentary tells the story of the seventh century prophet who changed world history in 23 years and continues to shape the lives of more than 1.2 billion people,” Mustafa Abdullah, junior and president of MSA, said.

“The film takes viewers not only to ancient Middle Eastern sites where Muhammad’s story unfolds, but into the homes, mosques and workplaces of some of America’s estimated seven million Muslims to discover the many ways in which they follow Muhammad’s example.”

The MSA was established at the university last year by its original eight members.

There are currently around 20 members, including both Muslims and non-Muslims. The presence of this organization is still relatively new and is continuing to establish itself on campus.

“This is our first event and one of its primary purposes is to pitch who we are and what we do for other students,” Abdullah said.

“In doing that, we will fulfill our goals of serving as a safe haven for all Muslims and non-Muslims in the WFU community as well as foster a spiritual and academic environment of all Wake students.”

Despite the organization’s new footing at the university, it is tackling some controversial hurdles. This event is an attempt do just that, and the students who attended it felt that it provided a fresh view.

“I felt these kind of dialogues are important in breaking the barrier between two worlds,” senior Kristen Gentry said. “Since 9/11, Islam has been stigmatized continuously in the media, but dialogues like these help shatter those negative stereotypes.”

“I feel the ultimate message I took away form this event was that ‘it’s all about humanity’. People follow different religions, but they follow them for the same cause: the betterment for humanity,” sophomore Zareen Vadva said.

A few students who attended the event felt they understood the important intellectual gain from this event, however, they also felt there was one important thing lacking.

“The dialogue was helpful and important, but I feel the event; wasn’t publicized enough to attract students beyond those who took Arabic classes,” sophomore Brittany Coloquitt said.

“I felt the event did a good job at tacking the negative stereotype Americans have of Muslims.”

The members of MSA feel the event was a step in the right direction.

“This was a good event kick off for the year. It provided a good elementary foundation for non-Muslims,” Darlene May, professor of Arabic, said.

Based on confirmation from the numerous members of the MSA, students can be sure to see more events from this new and daring organization.

“We are a group that is seeking to break the typical stigma of being a Muslim in the 21st century,” Abudllah said. “We want to promote an authentic understanding of a religion that is sorely misunderstood.

“It is only possible when a community comes together to dialogue on important and critical issues of our day, especially pertaining to Islam, can all of our concerns be addressed and that all problems can be properly identified.

“This event will demonstrate how the WFU MSA wants to actively participate and lead in addressing everything from the most basic Islamic beliefs to the most important contemporary Islamic questions and problems,” Abdullah added.