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Jessica Haney

Dr. Faiz Rahman lectures HSJI students about "Going beyond your perspective"

Last night, the annual story competition commenced as Dr. Faiz Rahman, geography professor and president of the IU Islamic Center, took the mic. His lecture on understanding Islam lasted only one hour, and all the while students’ pencils were scribbling notes and quotes.

Rahman touched on the fundamental principles of Islam, demonstrating that they are not that different from any other major religion. He worked through the common misconceptions of his religion– one being that Islam promotes violence or terrorism– when in actuality, they are a peaceful people.

Muslims have made a positive contribution to this world, explained Rahman, and their reputation should not be jeopardized by violent extremists. He highlighted instances from the Islamic Golden Age: the construction of the first university, the study of math and algebra, and the mapping of constellations through astronomy.

Rahman’s graph showed that muslims comprise a diverse population. But the media often does not represent this diversity. Even the word "jihad"– meaning merely a struggle– has been used to signify violent combat in the news.

Jessica Haney

Students question Rahman and other muslim community members

After Rahman’s speech, he took questions from students and introduced other muslim guests from the community. There were families, professors, and children of all origins wiling to discuss their religion and its meaning.

Once the lecture adjourned, students pounced on the opportunity to interview these additional sources. After that, they were on their way to winning the prize.

As of 8:30 this morning, all stories were collected. They vary from news coverage, to feature, to opinion, to editorial. We’ll annouce the winners and publish their pieces tomorrow.