Islam 101

 Organizers hope Islam Awareness Week, April 2-5, helps the CCNY community better understand Muslim cultureby Mai Sabour.When Shaimaa Said first stepped onto the CCNY campus wearing traditional Muslim clothing last fall, she felt like every eye was on her. “Everyone looked at me like I was weird because of my hijab,” says the 19 year old.  “When I heard about the Islamic Awareness I was like 'yes!' Finally I can talk about my religion and not look weird in front of everyone.”Islam Awareness Week, April 2-5, is organized to help increase the comfort level of students like Said. Every year the Women in Islam and the Muslim Student Organization host Islamic Awareness Week to raise awareness and introduce the campus community to Islam and Muslims through lectures, games, fun activities, and gifts. This year the week has even more relevance given the news that the NYPD spied on CCNY Muslim students, assuming they were terrorists.Nihal Hashem, a Muslim student, says she appreciates the chance to share information and goodwill. “We want to help people understand more of what our religion really is and who we really are," says Hashem, 23. "We want more people to have the right information about Islam, but most importantly to have fun with it.”Non-Muslim students say they feel grateful for the week. “I love the event in what it preaches by informing people about the values and traditions of Islamic culture," says Mark Samir Soliman.Some Muslim students say that Islam Awareness Week offers the opportunity to break the silence about how they feel about being Muslim. “Islamic Awareness is important because it's a way to share my lifestyle/religion in the hopes that people will come to learn and respect it,” says Humera Mohammad.For more information, look for posters, like the one featured here, all around campus.