Thursday marks the two-year observation of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The tragic events of that day were terrible and left all of us in shock and awe.
The consequences of 9/11 were terrible as well. The world economy collapsed and a wave of wars started in the name of fighting terrorism.
The group behind the attacks claimed to have committed them in the name of Islam. This foolish claim motivated foolish people to judge all the Muslims by the acts of only a few.
Since 9/11, moderate Muslims have raised their voices to condemn the attacks and disprove the claims. Unfortunately, the media has never given moderate Muslims enough opportunity to voice their opinions.
Instead, Anti-Islam rhetoric prevailed to give the impression that all Muslims are just like the hijackers of 9/11.
I'm sure some of you are familiar with the assertion that Islam exhorts its followers to be violent against non-Muslims. Believe me, it is no more than a part of a rising cacophony of vicious criticism that is not based on any objective judgment.
Muslim Student Association (MSA) at Ball State chose to tackle the issue of 9/11 in a positive way. MSA is organizing Islamic Awareness Week, titled "A Smile is a Charity." It is a program that attempts to better introduce the facts and remove the misconceptions about the Islamic faith.
The first activity, "Islam in their eyes," is Monday. Four non-Muslim speakers will discuss their views on Islam. They are Thomas Perchlick from the Universalist Church, George Wolfe of Ball State's music department, Herb Stahlke of the English department and Cyrus Reed of International Education.
On Wednesday, four Americans will reveal what made them embrace Islam. Each grew up practicing a different religion but has chosen to revert to Islam.
The speakers have diverse ethnicities and genders. The focus will be on what changed in their lives as a result of faith change.
"Islam: Peace or Terrorism" is the title of the fourth activity held on Thursday. Muneer Fareed, a guest speaker, will address this topic from an academic point of view.
He is a specialist in Islamic studies at Wayne State University. He is expected to concentrate on why and how many people think Islam endorses violence.
The last activity, the Cultural Carnival, is held on Friday. It is an informal gathering where free, international food will be served.
The carnival is a good occasion to socialize with different people from other religious and cultural backgrounds. Getting to know each other and appreciating our different beliefs is a significant step to enhance social stability, which in turn makes us live in harmony and happiness.
The Islamic Awareness Week is a great opportunity for Ball State students, faculty and staff to share thoughts and discuss different issues with their fellow Muslims. Engaging in dialogue with others is the easiest way to understand them.
The events are designed to promote understanding and to correct stereotypes that some people might still have about Islam. The activities will be held at the Student Center at 6 p.m., and the Ball State community is invited to attend and participate.
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