This week is all about acceptance.
Alongside the LGBTQ community’s national Coming Out Week, the UTK Muslim Student Association kicked off Islam Awareness Week yesterday by handing out pancakes and “vol juice” on Pedestrian Walkway. Faatin Salekin, MSA co-president and sophomore in biology, said they hope to show how inclusive the week is to all students and campus community members while encouraging a high turn out for events.
“Islam is a faith of just being welcome to everyone,” Salekin said. “If you want to learn, learn. No one is stopping you.”
In coordination with the National MSA’s recognition of Islamic students on campuses around the U.S. this week, UT’s chapter will host a series of lectures and events leading up to the fast-a-thon dinner Thursday night.
Salekin said he hopes UT students will be encouraged to learn more about the Muslim religion and set aside any judgments or negative perceptions they may have developed of the faith and learn the truth.
“We hope to show them the real side, not the good side, the real side,” Salekin said.”We need to notice these things and cope with them, figure out how to not only diminish it but also take the whole idea of racism out and learn to individualize the human being without looking at their color or race.”
Tuesday, Oct. 7:
Professor Hassan Lechheb, former Arabic professor for UT, and local Imam Rafiq Mahdi will present the discussion, “MLK to Malcom X: The State of Race in America,” in room 226 of the UC at 7:30 p.m. The two speakers will expose how racism exists in society today and the best ways to overcome and avoid being incidentally racist.
“You may think you don’t see much racism here anymore, but there’s indirect racism you see here and there,” Salekin said.
Wednesday, Oct. 8:
UTK Muslim Student Association Chaplain Abdelrahman Murphy will present on, “Generation i: The Social Effects of Vanity and Narcissism,” in room 226 of the University Center at 7:30 p.m. Murphy will discuss how the current generation of college students use “selfies” as coping mechanisms and how social media has become a point of obsession.
Thursday, Oct. 9:
Islam Awareness Week concludes Thursday with the “#UTKHungry4change: Fastathon and Discussion on Hunger” dinner in the UC Ballroom from 6:30 p.m to 9 p.m. Zaynab Ansari from the Tayseer Foundation will discuss her experiences fasting as traditional dishes are served to students and community members who participated in the fast-a-thon that begins earlier that day. The event is meant to celebrate broken fast and cultural diversity.
Throughout the week, MSA is asking students to pledge to fast Thursday. Every student who participates will have their Volcard swiped and a local business or donor will give one dollar to the local Love Kitchen for campus participants.
Students choose what they will give up for the day, either food or an item of their choice.
“It opens up your mind to see different views,” Salekin said of the event. “When you look at the world with an open mind, the world opens up to you.”
