Muslim women knelt to pray during the Muslim Students Association’s Islam Awareness Week dinner and presentation on Saturday afternoon in the Union.
Henna tattoos, cultural displays and a congregational prayer gave UW students, faculty and staff a glimpse into the Islamic culture last week.
Islam Awareness Week, which was hosted by the UW Muslim Student Association, featured a different event each day leading up to a dinner and keynote speech by Jerald Dirks.
Dirks discussed the role and status of women in Islam Saturday night. He was a minister at a Methodist Church before he discovered a different religious path in Islam.
“This is a major opportunity to help educate students and the community about traditions and customs typical of Muslim cultures, such as food, clothing, beliefs and festivities,” Dirks said in a UW press release prior to the event.
The main purpose of Islam Awareness Week was to bring recognition to different Muslim cultures, MSA president Adil Bentahar said in the press release.
Some highlights of Islam Awareness Week included cultural displays that were set up in the Union, a “Misconceptions of Islam” panel discussion, henna tattoos, “Arab-American Night,” Jummah Prayer and Dirks presentation at Saturday night’s concluding dinner.
