With hopes of breaking down stereotypes about the Muslim community, the Muslim Students Association is putting on its eighth annual open house this weekend.
The open house started as a spring event to inform everyone about what the Islamic Center is and what it does, said Ziad Akir, director of distance learning at Washington State Community College and occasional volunteer service leader at the Islamic Center.
“It is usually an opportunity to come together at the end of the academic year and celebrate the richness and diversity of the Muslim and non-Muslim international community here at Ohio University,” Akir said.
The event will include videos, speakers and free food and barbecue will be provided for all guests, said Salah Awad, president of the Muslim Students Association and a graduate student studying biochemistry.
“Gifts will also be provided for people who participate in a question at the event,” he said. “We hope they will spend a great time with us.”
The open house gives students and Athens an opportunity to learn about Islam, Muslims, and specifically Athens’ Muslim community on a firsthand basis, said Shani Salifu, vice president of the Muslim Students Association and recent instructional technology doctoral graduate.
“This gives attendees the opportunity to understand people in the Muslim community as mortals and human like everyone else,” Salifu said. “They would understand that Muslims are just like anybody else with the difference being that they are following a different faith.”
The media has a strong influence on people’s views and can often change someone’s perspective.
Media personalities could be well-versed with the nuances of Islam or have their own personal agendas that can distort people’s perceptions, Salifu added.
Learning about and understanding different cultures is extremely important to students and is something they should take advantage of, Akir said.
“As learners and future community leaders, Ohio University students need to learn about other cultures and understand how we, as humans, can live in harmony and with tolerance in today’s global village,” he said.
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