A speech entitled "Women in Islam" delivered last night by Mumina Kowalski, a chaplain with State Correctional Institution at Muncy, marked the beginning of the Muslim Student Association's (MSA) third annual Islam Awareness Week.

The speech served to shed light on the truth about Muslim women.

"Some non-Muslims have a misconception about women in Islam," said Assma Al Thowaini (sophomore-special education). "This was a great opportunity to learn about the truth."

Following Kowalski's speech, there will be a series of different presentations, which will be given each day through Thursday to address common questions about Islam and its relevance in modern society.

In its three-year existence, Islam Awareness Week has grown from a two-event celebration to a full-week bill, MSA President Hamdan Yousuf said.

Next, in conjunction with tomorrow's International Student Council Spring Fair, the HUB lawn will be home to the Muslim World Fair, which will highlight diversity in the Muslim world.

With representatives from four continents and 47 countries, the MSA is one of the most diverse student organizations on campus, said Yousuf, who added that only about 20 percent of Muslims are Arab.

Following the "Mosque Open House" on Sunday and a showing of National Geographic's Inside Mecca on Monday will be a pair of speeches delivered by Muslim scholars.

Zahir Ali of Columbia University will give a speech entitled "Islam and the African-American Experience" to address the concerns of African-American Muslims, who account for one-third of Muslims in America, Yousuf said.

"Islam is America's fastest growing religion," Yousuf said, saying that's why the topic of next Wednesday's event will be on the relevance and modernity of Islam.

These topics will be addressed in a talk entitled "Islam: A Religion for Our Time," which will be delivered by Abdullah bin Hamid Ali, the first American graduate of the prestigious University of Al Karaouine in Morocco.

Al Karaouine is the oldest operational university in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Islam Awareness Week will conclude with Thursday's comedy act, "Allah Made Me Funny: Muslim Comedy Tour."

Muslim comedians Azhar Usman, Preacher Moss and Mohammed Amer, who collectively "invented the genre of Muslim comedy," Yousuf said, will be featured.

"You come to laugh, but you leave learning something about Islam," he said. "The mission of [Muslim Awareness Week] is consistent with the mission of our organization -- to create an atmosphere of understanding."