Panel discusses Islam in the western world as part of FAS
The next speaker, Manal Omar, a civil rights activist, revealed her personal struggles as a Muslim in the West with a powerful voice.
"I am a very strong advocate of women's rights but at the same time I've been told I'm wearing the ultimate symbol of patriarchy," she said, referring to her choice to wear the traditional head-scarf.
Despite these comments and others like "curtain-head or whatever creative thing they can come up with," she urged Muslims to "define yourself, don't let people force you."
She has learned, over time, to "celebrate the different parts of my identity."
Speaking in accompaniment to Sanders's portrayal of Muslims in Britain, a non-Muslim British Diplomat spoke about the western perspective. He joked lightly about how he couldn't possibly talk about the question, "Would Churchill have invaded Iraq?" garnering chuckles from the crowd.
On a more serious note, he said, "There is some ignorance due to sensational media coverage."
However, "Islam has played a huge role in creating Britain for, arguably, the past millennium," he said.
Ultimately, he concluded that people's basic needs, like educating their children or freedom of travel and speech are universal desires.
"Integration doesn't mean uniformity, nor does it mean people need to give up their identity," he said.
Finally, Hopkins senior Farah Qureshi spoke about her personal experiences as a Muslim in America.
"What I learned from a young age is that your faith is something within you," she said. "It inspires me to do good in the world. When I treat others with respect it's because my god expects it."
"Having friends called terrorists, Islamo-fascists, had a profound effect on me even though I never experienced it personally," she said. "I felt like, if they got to know us, it would be different."
The overall message was one of hope for the future, as well as a call to recognize the need for increased understanding.
"If you're foreign in another country, it's hard to be accepted, so you have to reach out on a limb and sort of show people you're normal," Sanders said during the question and answer session.
"As with any world faith, you have misconceptions," said Omair Javed, president of the JHUMA. "We hope to show our contribution to Western society ... to portray the reality of the situation."
"It was very interesting; they all had such different backgrounds but they all seemed to have the same message," freshman Jesse McDermeit said. "They want to portray a better view of what Islam really is."
"I am a very strong advocate of women's rights but at the same time I've been told I'm wearing the ultimate symbol of patriarchy," she said, referring to her choice to wear the traditional head-scarf.
Despite these comments and others like "curtain-head or whatever creative thing they can come up with," she urged Muslims to "define yourself, don't let people force you."
She has learned, over time, to "celebrate the different parts of my identity."
Speaking in accompaniment to Sanders's portrayal of Muslims in Britain, a non-Muslim British Diplomat spoke about the western perspective. He joked lightly about how he couldn't possibly talk about the question, "Would Churchill have invaded Iraq?" garnering chuckles from the crowd.
On a more serious note, he said, "There is some ignorance due to sensational media coverage."
However, "Islam has played a huge role in creating Britain for, arguably, the past millennium," he said.
Ultimately, he concluded that people's basic needs, like educating their children or freedom of travel and speech are universal desires.
"Integration doesn't mean uniformity, nor does it mean people need to give up their identity," he said.
Finally, Hopkins senior Farah Qureshi spoke about her personal experiences as a Muslim in America.
"What I learned from a young age is that your faith is something within you," she said. "It inspires me to do good in the world. When I treat others with respect it's because my god expects it."
"Having friends called terrorists, Islamo-fascists, had a profound effect on me even though I never experienced it personally," she said. "I felt like, if they got to know us, it would be different."
The overall message was one of hope for the future, as well as a call to recognize the need for increased understanding.
"If you're foreign in another country, it's hard to be accepted, so you have to reach out on a limb and sort of show people you're normal," Sanders said during the question and answer session.
"As with any world faith, you have misconceptions," said Omair Javed, president of the JHUMA. "We hope to show our contribution to Western society ... to portray the reality of the situation."
"It was very interesting; they all had such different backgrounds but they all seemed to have the same message," freshman Jesse McDermeit said. "They want to portray a better view of what Islam really is."
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