Muslim Addresses Misconceptions
By Eric Austin / WRITER | April 29Auburn students were given an opportunity last Thursday in Haley Center to learn about and discuss Islam, a faith to which a predominantly Christian campus has little exposure and at times outright ignorance to."I hope at the end of this you come away with a different understanding, or at least a foundation," said Imam Mohamed Ismail, the featured speaker at the lecture event of the Muslim Students' Association."Clearing up Misconceptions of Islam" sought to answer questions and address inaccuracies students may have about the world's second largest faith."The main purpose of the Muslim Students' Association is to invite people to learn about Muslims and Islam in general," said Ansab Ali, president of the organization and senior in accounting.Ali said there are plenty of people of the Islamic faith in the Auburn community."We have about a hundred students in the organization on campus, and we have over a thousand Muslims at least in the surrounding community," Ali said.In his lecture, Ismail focused on the principles of Islam, which were revealed to the prophet Muhammad and are summarized in the "Five Pillars of Islam," which can be found in the Quran.They consist of worshipping no god but Allah, daily prayer, a month of fasting during Ramadan, a pilgrimage to Mecca and charitable giving.He also addressed misconceptions about Islam in the West."Sadly, most of the world's education about Islam is received from the media," Ismail said.
