Night of Lights Serves as a Beacon for Muslim Students

By Broadside Correspondent Erica Terrini

In order to continue events for Islam Awareness Week, the Muslim Student Association at George Mason University held a “Night of Light” lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 28 in the Johnson Center’s Dewberry Hall.

The lecture, which incorporated the title, “The Making of a Muslim” was held so that multiple speakers could conduct recitations from the Qur’an. In addition, there was discussion about the main beliefs of Muslims, which are stated in the Qur’an itself.

This event was a significant occasion, because it provided an educational foundation that could be applied throughout Islam Awareness Week. Typically, the week is conducted annually and internationally, but it is hosted at different times for various regions and groups.

The “Night of Light” lecture was the third event in the discussion series planned during the week of Feb. 25 to Feb. 28. The previous events were titled, “Virtues of Sincerity and Patience” and “Unveiled: The Lives of Muslim Women.”

“When planning these events, we looked at what people have misconceptions about,” said Sufia Alnoor, secretary of the MSA.

“We didn’t want to try to defend ourselves, but we wanted to show aspects of Islamic culture,” Alnoor said. “‘Virtues of Sincerity and Patience’ told the story about the beliefs we hold and the recitations of Qur’anic verses show our belief in God, creation, Muslim character, translation and other beliefs.”

The main objective of the MSA is to, “impart the pure teachings of Islam to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Additionally, we hope to aid in fostering true brotherhood and sisterhood among Muslims on campus,” according to the statement placed on the MSA’s Web site.

As a socially active group on campus, the MSA has hosted dinners during the month of Ramadan, with an average attendance of 200 people.

In addition, the MSA also had a special guest speaker for every Wednesday night during the month. One such speaker was Dr. Merve Kavaci, who came to speak at Mason for the MSA about her issues in the Turkish Parliament and wearing her headscarf, which was banned for several years.

Besides the events hosted by the MSA for Ramadan, there were several events that included film viewings with refreshments and a variety of games, like bowling. The MSA also intends to host an open mic night in the future and information for the event will be listed on their Web site.

The work that goes into the planning for these events is on the larger scale, especially when considering the audiences that are attending. “We have to cater and try to stay within our budget, as well as reserve rooms big enough to hold our numbers,” said Khalid Kamalmaz, press representative for MSA.

As for the evening of the event, “Night of Light” began with an introduction of the basic principles present in the Qur’an and the main teachings of Islamic culture.

There were several recitations of Qur’anic chapters in Arabic, also known as surahs, which were then translated into English afterwards. Prayers included “Yaseen,” “Al-Rahman” and “Al-Isra’a,” which discussed Islamic ideals and moral histories.

The recitations reiterated the foundation that Muslim students at Mason strive to follow in their daily lives. Despite being geared toward an educated Muslim audience, the open forum allowed many non-Muslim students to participate in an in-depth dialogue about the religion and culture.

For more information about weekly meetings and information, visit GMU's Muslim Student Association's website.