PRISM launches series on religious stereotypes

Students of all religions came together last night to discuss and debate the negative stereotypes associated with Islam.

Programs in Religion, Interfaith and Spirituality Matters, Penn’s interfaith student group, hosted “AHHH!!! Muslims!!!” in the basement of the 1920 Commons. This panel discussion was the first of an upcoming series called “The Demonization of the Other,” which deals with religious stereotypes. The panel featured four undergraduate students with backgrounds in Modern Middle Eastern Studies and Near Eastern Language and Civilizations.

Two Muslim students, Wharton senior Sami Ahmed and College sophomore Mak Hussain, sat on the panel and provided first-hand accounts of their experiences with Islam. PRISM also selected two Jewish panelists, College seniors Elisheva Goldberg and Yuval Orr, who have traveled to and lived in several predominantly Muslim countries.

“I wanted to be able to talk about things that were controversial to me as a Jew,” Orr said.

The panel focused on several general topics concerning Islam. These topics were generated by a survey e-mailed to the Penn community, which asked students to identify stereotypes about Muslims and to ask general questions. Some of the issues discussed were hijab, jihad and studying the Quran in context.

Hijab, the Muslim law that governs rules of dress, was explained as both a cultural preference and as a spiritual way of serving God. The panelists negated the stereotype that Muslim women are forced by men to wear this style of modest clothing.

Debate also centered on methods of interpreting Islamic text and on the role of violence in Islam. Despite the popular portrayal of fundamentalist Muslims as terrorists, panelists argued that these behaviors are highly incongruent with the Muslim faith.

“Any terrorist act in this day and age is condemnable,” Ahmed said.

Students were encouraged to ask questions throughout the program. One student brought with him several verses from the Quran to use in his arguments, while others posed questions based on prior knowledge and actively engaged in debate with the panel.

“We hope this opens up a lot of discussion, not just about Muslims but about religion,” PRISM’s Programming Chairman and College junior Angbeen Saleem said.

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