Week aims to inform, break stereotypes

By Jacquelyn Nixon

Daily Staff Reporter

Rackham student Nancy Abdel-Khalek said she has recently noticed an increase of incidents of harassment involving Muslim women.

"Women who cover their heads have been getting harassed while walking on the street," she said. Comments were made about these women as they passed by, Abdel-Khalek said.

In response to the harassment, members of the Muslim Students' Association are taking measures to create a campus-wide safewalk to protect members.

The week began yesterday and ends Nov. 20. On top of that, they have organized Islam Awareness Week to educate the University community about Islam and break down stereotypes.

But the harassment has gone beyond verbal attacks, Abdel-Khalek said.

At the end of October, a Muslim student was praying in the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library, abiding to her religious obligation to pray five times a day.

"Somebody put glue in her shoes while she was praying and then took a picture of her from behind," Abdel-Khalek said.

She said the student was praying behind a screen provided by the librarians and didn't see the perpetrator. She put her shoes on and walked home but was wearing socks, Abdel-Khalek said.

Rebecca Dunkle, who works in the library, said the library put up the screen before Ramadan holiday to give students an area for prayer.

"There's about a handful of people who pray there every day," Dunkle said.

In response to the incident, Dunkle said the woman's friends brought the situation to the library's attention about eight hours after it occurred.

"We made it clear to the students to immediately notify us if something like that happens again. We've also made it clear to our staff to call it to our attention if anything happens," she said.

The Muslim Students' Association organized Islam Awareness Week to dissolve the negative energy surrounding Muslim students on campus.

But preparation for the event met some resistance.

Engineering junior Sabir Ibrahim said their banner in the Diag, advertising the week's events was ripped and destroyed.

LSA sophomore Imaan Youseff said it was obvious the wind didn't blow down the sign.

"We were upset about it. It was a big deal and was uncalled for. We had to make another one," Youseff said.

To kick off the week, students put up the new banner and distributed fliers and hot chocolate on the Diag yesterday afternoon. The second event in the series, "Objectifying the Human Body," is expected to be have the greatest student interest.

"The panel will address how women are exploited," Ibrahim said.

Youseff said the panel is relevant to the way women are perceived in society today.

"Sociology classes focus on the subject, and students can relate to it, especially girls. Most of the people who have been asking about the event have been female," Youseff said.

"Crime and Punishment" is the subject of a panel discussion that will compare two legal systems and explore their effects on society.

Students can also take a ride from the Cube to Ann Arbor's Islamic Center to tour the Mosque, the Islamic place of worship, on Nov. 17.

"We hope this week will serve to inform people of the major world religion that Islam is," Abdel-Khalek said.

ALEX WOLK/Daily

LSA sophomore Sophia Hussain hands out fliers on the Diag yesterday for Islamic Awareness Week. The sign behind her was torn up last week and replaced yesterday.