The Muslim Students Association is working to end misconceptions and stereotypes through their annual Open House.
Although the MSA holds the annual event at the Islamic Center, this year’s is being held in the Baker Ballroom to reach more people, said Omar Kurdi, communications chair of MSA and a junior studying political science and global studies.
“(The event is held) in order to familiarize the campus with our community, our activities and educate about who we are, both as a community, as Muslims, and as inhabitants of Athens,” he said. “This year is special because … we are expanding our potential audience and having the event in Baker Ballroom.”
This year’s open house has a theme of unity and diversity, said Abdul Kurdi, programming director and chair of MSA and a senior studying computer science.
“We want to illustrate, using performances, the diverse cultures of Islam at Ohio University, while showing that Islam brought us all together, as one,” he said. “I hope students recognize how diverse Islam really is.”
One of the most important aspects of the night is to end common misconceptions people may have about the Islamic community, said Ibrahim Ahmed, president of MSA and a graduate student studying chemistry.
“For example, when some hear about Islam, they think that Muslims are Arab, or mostly so, which is completely wrong, and we can recognize this easily when comparing how many movies represent Muslims and how Muslims are in reality,” he said.
Using performances, food and presentations, the MSA hopes to reach a large portion of students and Athens residents, Omar said.
“We aim to show the diverse and multi faceted reality of Islam in Athens and around the world,” he said. “The destruction of (monolithic) thinking will hopefully lead to more of an inclusive thinking about Muslims.”
The cultural experiences should fit very well with the new location, and students involved in MSA are excited to see how the evening pans out, Omar added.
“I am looking forward to how the new venue and the expanded potential come together,” he said. “Hopefully, it all goes smoothly and this experiment can be seen as a success.”
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