2008 Woodie Awards
Al-Islam hosts panel of Islamic scholars
Religion
J. Claire Wilson
Issue date: 10/22/07 Section: News
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The Al-Islam Students Association and the UA Multicultural Center hosted a discussion titled "Islam: Sunni, Shia, Sufi and Ahmadi Perspectives," Friday in the Union Theater.
"We decided to host this event because in our charter and our constitution. It states that our goal is to give community an understanding about different types of Islam, and how they are in harmony with each other," said Heba Naseem Syed, president of Al-Islam.
Al-Islam was founded "after Sept. 11 [2001] to put out a good word for Islam and the different sects of the religion," Naseem Syed said.
The response to the Sept. 11 attacks left many Americans with an aversion to Islam, said William Tucker, an associate professor of history.
"Because of world events, most people today know the term Shia, but they might not know what it really means," Tucker said.
Tucker explained that as a scholar of the Shia perspective, he is not a practitioner of Islam.
"The Shia are partisans of Ali who believe that the rightful leadership should have passed to the caliphate, people who descended from Fatima [the daughter of the prophet Muhammed] and Ali," Tucker said.
"Shiite Islam is rather more complicated, and it was a very long history that has evolved through the idea that central spiritual and political leadership of Islam should be directed through Ali and Fatima," Tucker explained.
The other speakers expressed the need to create peace within these groups as well.
"We hope to create peace between these groups of believers because we are all Muslims," said Basri Zain, a lecturer of Islamic Studies at the State Islamic University of Malang in East Java, Indonesia.
"Sunnis generally have respect for other schools [of Islam], but the tenets of Sunni belief have been corrupted by the war zealots," Zain said.
Zain, who is completing his doctorate at the UA, highlighted three general beliefs that are central to the Sunni: "speech of the prophet [Muhammed], action of the prophet and testing of the prophet."
"We decided to host this event because in our charter and our constitution. It states that our goal is to give community an understanding about different types of Islam, and how they are in harmony with each other," said Heba Naseem Syed, president of Al-Islam.
Al-Islam was founded "after Sept. 11 [2001] to put out a good word for Islam and the different sects of the religion," Naseem Syed said.
The response to the Sept. 11 attacks left many Americans with an aversion to Islam, said William Tucker, an associate professor of history.
"Because of world events, most people today know the term Shia, but they might not know what it really means," Tucker said.
Tucker explained that as a scholar of the Shia perspective, he is not a practitioner of Islam.
"The Shia are partisans of Ali who believe that the rightful leadership should have passed to the caliphate, people who descended from Fatima [the daughter of the prophet Muhammed] and Ali," Tucker said.
"Shiite Islam is rather more complicated, and it was a very long history that has evolved through the idea that central spiritual and political leadership of Islam should be directed through Ali and Fatima," Tucker explained.
The other speakers expressed the need to create peace within these groups as well.
"We hope to create peace between these groups of believers because we are all Muslims," said Basri Zain, a lecturer of Islamic Studies at the State Islamic University of Malang in East Java, Indonesia.
"Sunnis generally have respect for other schools [of Islam], but the tenets of Sunni belief have been corrupted by the war zealots," Zain said.
Zain, who is completing his doctorate at the UA, highlighted three general beliefs that are central to the Sunni: "speech of the prophet [Muhammed], action of the prophet and testing of the prophet."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
H Naseem
posted 10/22/07 @ 1:24 PM CST
I thank Traveler for covering the event so beautifully. I do not know where Mr. Charles found any reason to be upset about the piece. The motto of Al-Islam Students Association is to reduce misunderstandings and biases through knowledge. (Continued…)
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