On Sept. 8, 2004 the Muslim Student Association opened the
windows on their Islam tradition for the Saint Louis University
community.

Their exhibition entitled “Window to Islam: An Exhibition to the
Muslim World” was the first of eight presentations that
co-presidents Daliah Salem and Ahmad Iqbal have organized for
Islamic Awareness Month. Over the course of two days, Salem and
Iqbal addressed the “many misconceptions about their religion
people need to take the time to understand.”

“We presented a video revealing the Five Pillars of Islam, their
three holy cities, and the truth about Muslim women’s equality,”
reported first year student Randa Kuziez. Of those non-Muslim SLU
students whom had not seen the video, 30 percent interviewed could
name at least two of the five Pillars of Islam. Fifty percent could
name at least one of their three Holy Cities, and 80 percent agreed
with the statement that Muslim women are given the choice to
marry.

Muslim students themselves, like Kuziez, can name Mecca, Medina,
and Jerusalem as the holy cities. She knows the Five Pillars
consist of hajj, sawm, zak�h, sal�h and
�m�n, and she can explain to us what they mean.
However, along with the rest of the Muslim Student Association, she
is not using this month to simply teach Islam faith and increase
these statistics collected.

On Sept. 14, the MSA put together a Muslim Convert Panel. Four
students from around the St. Louis area discussed their decision to
convert to the Islam religion.

Washington University junior Ian Rustner commented that has
“made [me] a better person because everything [I] do has a purpose.
Islam rewards and punishes people based on their intentions. This
system actually achieves justice.”

Junior Bethany Liefer said she attended the panel to “learn more
about the religion and [found] the speakers to have amazing
stories.” She encouraged other students to attend more events
because she believes that, “to have any dialogue, we have to
understand the humanity of the Muslim faith.”

In the same light, co-president Iqbal said he hopes that the
Islamic Awareness Month will “enlighten people and put a different
light on what has been portrayed in the media.”

The last of the seminars prepared are as follows: “Movie: Peace,
Propaganda, and the Promised Land” on Sept. 16 at 4:30 p.m. in
Lecture Hall 1, “Saladin/Salahuddin: Myth and Reality” on Sept. 21
at 5 p.m. in BSC 170, “Jesus (peace be upon him): Prophet of Islam”
on Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. in BSC 251, “Behind the Veil: Women in Islam”
on Sept. 23 in BSC 253, “Islam: Religion of Peace or Terror?” on
Sept. 29 in BSC 253, and “Contributions of Islamic Civilization to
the West” on Sept. 30 in BSC 251.