The Campus Crusade for Christ and the Muslim Student Association attempted to raise student awareness about Islam and clear up misunderstandings last night by holding a discussion featuring speakers from both faiths.

"We thought that because all over the world there is a lot of ignorance— we wanted to clear up misconceptions about Islam," said Chris Foltz (senior- business logistics), student organizer of CCC said. "It's not a debate or an argument, it's just a time to share— to inform the community about what Islam is and to steer people away from the stereotypes."

Students with the MSA had similar intentions. "Ever since the Sept. 11 attacks, we've been asked to speak a lot," said Ayisha Zaki (junior-marketing), vice president of MSA. "We're just trying to do anything with anyone to get the word out to as many people as possible."

Other members of MSA stressed the importance of these discussions in educating the public and in eliminating stereotypes. "There is a majority of people who are ignorant about our faith, but only a minority choose to act (on those misconceptions) in a way that is harmful," said Ameer Ali (junior-industrial engineering), co-vice president of MSA. "These types of forums are one way for us to make this society better for us to live in together," he said.

Ramy Nasr (junior-pre-medicine) spoke about the beliefs of Islam and outlined many similarities between his faith and Christianity. Nasr began his presentation with words in Islamic that translate to "peace be upon you." Explaining the roots of his faith, he told the audience that Islam means "submission."

"Islam is a challenge of the heart, the mind and the body," Nasr said. "Being a Muslim is not easy. If it was we would have called it chilling, not submission," he said arousing laughter from his audience.

Sana Malik (sophomore-bio-behavioral health) addressed misconceptions about female oppressions.

"Men and women are completely equal in the eyes of god," Malik said.

Women have had the right to vote, to initiate a divorce, to work and to own property for almost 1,500 years, she said. The Islamic dress code for women—making them cover up their skin--"is our way of being modest," Malik said. Women should be appreciated for their minds and for who they are, not how they look, she added.

Malik also cautioned against racial profiling because only 15 percent of Muslims are Arabs. "Muslims are everywhere. They cannot be profiled because there is no one way that they look," Malik said.

Over 100 people attended the forum last night.