Event Reflection #2

I attended “How to Teach About Islam in the Age of Islamophobia,” a Campus lecture hosted by the Center for the Study of Religion. The event took place on Thursday, October 17th, from 4 to 6 PM in the Faculty Club North Dining Room. Edward Curtis, the lecturer, is an author and a professor at Indiana University, focusing his studies on Islam and Muslims living in the United States. His talk on Thursday enlightened me on issues Muslims face in the years following the attacks on September 11th, 2001, and the implications of the aftermath. Though not Muslim himself, his love of Arabic and the culture surrounding the language in the Middle East materialized in the 1-hour talk, 30-minute question and answer session, and the following 30-minute informal chat over snacks the Faculty Club provided.
I learned the methods people have designed to have proper, respectful dialogues, specifically the inter-group dialogue model developed by the University of Michigan and appreciative inquiry by the United Religions Initiative. I thought that his statement that one must learn how to have respectful conversations about religion was interesting. He also noted the distinction between the liberal and radical narrative concerning the politics of his teaching Islam. The issues have been briefly mentioned in some of my Arabic and Arabic culture classes, but nothing this specific, so it was nice to hear someone delve into it more.
The event impacted me personally by helping me broaden my horizons, expanding my understanding of a subject I am not well-versed in. However, I thought that it was interesting that it came from, again, a non-Muslim, as he does not live that experience as a Christain at all. But at the same time, I think that these kinds of conversations should not only come from and be directed toward the group discussed. Most sitting in the room were Muslim or were required to be there for a religious studies class. I believe that a cause, in general, is stronger when supporters include those who do not identify with that group. For example, seeing men at a women’s rights march and seeing a man’s passion for gender equality gives the movement so much more validity. But since I want to work with this field, I hope that this will help me professionally, as well. I hope to work in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and understanding the stereotypes and misconceptions and how to dispel them properly is crucial to making any headway. I would love to work for the government, specifically the FBI, but I will see what the future holds for me. Though discussing Islam in America, this event still relates to the topic of International Affairs because it speaks of an originally foreign culture and the role it plays in the American melting pot.