Muslims educate Arizona Students on Islam

Dispelling misconceptions surrounding their faith, Muslim students in the University of Arizona have organized a series of interactive events during Islamic Awareness Week, testing students' information about Islam and giving them a chance to get a better understanding of the faith.

"It's our responsibility," Azba Khan, secretary of the MSA and a junior studying Middle Eastern and North African studies and molecular and cellular biology, told The Daily Wildcat on March 6.

"We're the representatives of the religion, so we're trying to take that initiative and tell people what it is firsthand, tell our experiences as Muslims."

Held this week in University of Arizona (UA), Islamic Awareness Week was organized by the Muslim Students Association to share with students who want to learn more about the religion.

The week events, held at UA Mall, included a Jeopardy-style game to test students' knowledge of the details of Islam.

Another event was held on Wednesday, referred to as "Hijab Day", which allowed interested students to try the Islamic headscarf for a day.

At the table on the Mall, club members passed out hijabs to any female students who were curious about their meaning and wanted to try one.

The event was followed by the evening about the students' experiences wearing the hijabs.

"We've seen videos of people doing this ... and we thought it was interesting because you see the reactions of girls once they see themselves [with the hijab]," Khan said.

Trying hijab for a day, Jessica Rech, a pre-business sophomore, described how she was fascinated by Islamic culture and wanted to learn more about it.

Sumaiyya Zehri, a molecular and cellular biology senior and the female vice president of the MSA, said that she was excited for the hijab event.

"I've been called a terrorist from people just walking by," Zehri said.

Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one's affiliations.

Though there are no official estimates, the US is home to an estimated Muslim minority of six to eight million.