On Saturday, April 7, the Islamic Center of Maine in Orono held an open house as part of the Islamic Awareness Week. Photo by Ian Ligget, Staff.
Last week, students and members of the University of Maine community came together to celebrate the Islamic Awareness Week.
Members of the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) have been planning for the Islamic Awareness Week, their biggest event of the year, since early February.
The purpose of the Islamic Awareness Week is to educate the public on Islam and to break stereotypes that people might have about the second most practiced religion in the world.
On Friday, April 6, Dr. Saadia Mian gave a talk titled “Honoring Women in a Dishonoring World.” More than 50 people filled the Bangor Room, leaving no empty seats for the presentation of women’s celebration in Islam. Dr. Mian shared the story of Maryam, who is believed to be the first female to be educated and have a leadership position in a place of worship. Traditionally, men were encouraged to carry on religious scholarship.
For the first time, the MSA hosted a female speaker during Islamic Awareness Week.
On Saturday, April 7, the Islamic Center of Maine hosted an open house for people interested in hearing Shaykh Saad Tasleem’s talk titled “Spiritual Contentment and Societal Harmony.” Like Dr. Mian’s talk, Tasleem’s talk generated great a large audience of people interested in learning more about Islam.
The Honors College encourages trips to the Islamic Center, yet many people are unaware that there is a mosque down the road. The Islamic Awareness Week gave many people an opportunity to pay a visit to the Islamic Center for the first time.