Islam is a common subject of casual discussion, newspaper
reports and TV commentary. Islamic Awareness Week is an opportunity
for people at UCLA to look at Islam with more depth than is
provided by a three-minute TV spot or 500-word story.
Put on by the Muslim Student Association, Islamic Awareness Week
is a resource for both Muslims and non-Muslims. Students, guest
speakers and religious leaders will all share their views about the
religion shared by over one billion people.
Last year, controversy overshadowed many of the events scheduled
for the awareness week when Bruins for Israel publicly displayed a
disturbing video of young Palestinians being trained to hold
rifles.
Here on this page, students and community members have battled
back and forth about the video and other issues related to Islam
and terrorism.
People should view Islamic Awareness Week as an opportunity to
learn about a religion that has largely been misconceived ““
and leave out the politics. There is much more to learn ““ and
many of the programs tackle intriguing questions about the role of
Jesus in Islam, Islamic law, conversion and early interaction with
the West.