In an ongoing effort to educate the UNM community about its faith, the Muslim Student Association is sponsoring Islamic Awareness Week, which will include campus lectures and exhibits that begin today.
"We basically want to take the opportunity to share our faith with others and give our peers information about Islam," said Salim Zamir, president of the UNM Muslim Student Association.
Group members will have a booth outside of Zimmerman Library in Smith Plaza all week to share information about the religion and offer samples of tea and baklava. This year the group has added three lectures, two of which are co-sponsored by the Maxwell Museum, to help round out the week.
Tuesday's lecture, titled "Islam and Science," will focus on the influence and contributions of the Muslim international community to modern science. The lecture will be from 6-8 p.m. at the Science and Technology Park, 801 University Blvd., in the Rotunda Room.
Wednesday's lecture, "Concept of God in Islam," addresses the misconceptions associated with Muslims calling god Allah.
"It basically explains that we have the same god as Jewish and Christian faiths, but he is known by a different name," Zamir said.
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Wednesday's lecture will be led by a local cleric, Iman Ahmed Almaz, from 2-4 p.m. in Room 125 of Dane Smith Hall.
The celebration concludes Friday with a lecture titled "Women in Islam," which will be from 6-8 p.m. in the Rotunda Room of Science and Technology Park.
"The lecture will cover common misconceptions that Islamic women are oppressed because of the clothes they wear and other traditions that people don't understand," Zamir said.
While Islam is the world's second largest religion, relatively few practice it in Albuquerque. Sparse numbers, combined with a heightened interest in learning more about Islam due to unrest in the Middle East and the terrorist attacks launched by people of the same region, has kept the Muslim Student Association members busy this year.
"We've had more requests to explain Islam and visit churches and schools," Zamir said. "It's an honor and is part of the responsibility associated with our religion, but it is very time consuming and can be overwhelming."
By explaining that Muslims pray five times a day as a way to remember their connection to their faith and other aspects of Islam, Zamir says he is able to share a more positive view of the religion.
"We see this as an opportunity to express ourselves, show people what Islam is all about and how we live it," he said. "We get to show that this is a peaceful religion that has little to do with the images of war most people think of when discussing our faith."
While community members were fearful of a backlash against Muslims following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Zamir said the student association has had few problems.
"Generally, it has been pretty good and people have been pretty open and understanding," he said. "We have had some minor things come up, but overall, it has been good."
Above all, Zamir said the group hopes that the community will take advantage of this week as opportunity to openly discuss religion.
"We encourage people to stop by our booth and come to lectures, bringing their questions and sharing their feelings," he said.
For more information about the Muslim Student Association, visit its Web site at www.unm.edu/~msa.
