Ohio Students Revive Prophet's Message
“We decided we wanted to work with other Muslim students' Associations (MSAs) in the area in order to build some networks and collaborations and make these events bigger and beneficial for a wide variety of people,” Abdulrahman Alwattar, MSA President, a third-year in public affairs, told the Lantern on Monday, January 21.
Held over the weekend, the conference titled “In the Words the Prophet: The Last Sermon" aimed at reviving the Prophet's (pbuh) message of unity and equality.
Guest speakers included Siraj Wahhaj, imam of the Masjid At-Taqwa in New York City, Mohamed Abutaleb, a teacher at the Oak Tree Institute of Islamic education and Yasmin Mogahed, a keynote Muslim speaker and author.
“The Prophet Muhammad was sent as the most beautiful example, and he is also described as a mercy to all of mankind," said Yasmin Mogahed, as self-help author and a keynote speaker at the conference, the Lantern reported on Monday, January 21.
"And therefore, we have to study his example, and what more important way to study him than through his last advice,”
The event was funded by Muslim donations as the single-day ticket of the conference cost $15.
“There was a committee made that would just focus on the budget, advertising and raising money," Alwattar said.
"We were able to raise $8,500 for this event in donations that really made this event possible,” he added.
The United States is home to a Muslim minority of between six to eight million.
A recent survey found that American Muslims are the most moderate around the world.
It also showed that US Muslims generally express strong commitment to their faith and tend not to see an inherent conflict between being devout and living in a modern society.
Gender Equality
Underscoring gender equality on Islam, Mogahed has highlighted Islamic teachings towards treating men and women equally.
“It’s important to understand the criteria of what does it mean to be a woman and what does it mean to be a man and how should we be treating one another,” Mogahed said.
Kareem Hakim, Michigan’s MSA vice president and co-organizer of the event said: “I hosted a couple of friends for the Ohio (State)-Michigan game from (Ohio) and while I wasn’t happy (about) their fanhood, I was happy to have them, so I think religion has been a unifying factor.”
Looking for an opportunity to re-enforce their faiths, people who have recently reverted to Islam deemed the conference as a chance to strengthen their faith.
“I just moved to the Midwest from California, and I have watched lectures about Yasmin Mogahed and Siraj Wahhaj in the past, and when I found out they were actually here, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to come,” said Adrienne Wilson, a Michigan health and behavior and health education graduate student.
“I am very interested in increasing my application in what have I learned,” Wilson said.
Source: OnIslam.net
