Students and faculty passing by the Pit on Tuesday afternoon were greeted by a colorful presentation of posters and displays explaining some aspects of a religion not too many people on campus know about.
The Muslim Student Association is sponsoring Islamic Awareness Week, which began Tuesday and ends Thursday. The organization is detailing a different aspect of the religion each afternoon in the Pit from noon until 2 p.m.
Tuesday's topic of discussion was the Holy Quran, what Muslims consider to be the revealed word of God. Wednesday's issue is about Islamic Diversity and Brotherhood and Sisterhood, and Thursday will feature a talk on the Prophets of Islam combined with a talk on Jesus in Islam.
MSA members said they wish to spread the word about some practices and items associated with their religion.
"(The Quran) is the last revelation from God," said Katrin Jomaa, a graduate student in engineering. "It was revealed over a period of 23 years. It didn't just come out of the blue."
Jomaa said one fact about the Quran that is not true with any other religion is the text has not changed since it was received by the prophet. "Until today from 1,400 years ago, the Quran has stayed the same, word for word, letter for letter," she said.
The MSA conceived this week in an attempt to inform others who might not know much about this religion.
"Our purpose was to let others know on campus what Islam is," said Salman Yusaf, a sophomore business major. "Not just the fundamental things, but the different aspects of Islam including our science and beliefs. We also wanted to dispel some of the stereotypes that are associated with our religion."
