Event offers glimpse of Muslim culture

The Muslim Student Union will sponsor "Sounds and Visions of Islam," a showcase of international Muslim cultures, from 7:30-9:30 p.m. today in the Ashton Clubhouse. \nBooths representing various countries will line the room displaying poetry, music, clothing and pictures depicting the history and present-day of Muslim cultures across the world. Such countries include Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Spain, China, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, West Africa, India, Balkans and the United States.\nVice President of the Muslim Student Union Naimah Bilal, who will represent the West African booth, has been working behind the scenes with hopes of providing educational and fun presentations for interested participants.\n"I want to equate what joins all these countries together," Bilal, a sophomore, said. "I want to express the importance of Muslims and prove our culture to be lively and rich."\nBilal said there is a strong pre-conception of Muslims in comparison to Arabs. Volunteers chosen to represent their countries will strive to teach and educate that Muslims are more diverse and different than some stereotypes indicate, she said. \nJunior Shoeb Khan, pubic relations chair of the Muslim Student Union, said he wants to educate and explain various diversity issues pertaining to Muslim customs.\n"I want to stress religion and show that the Muslim religion is peaceful," Khan said. "I want to educate people on campus and in the Bloomington community about how diverse the Muslim culture really is."\nKhan will display poems, clothing, pictures of mosques (the Islamic place of worship) and food to represent peace and civility, he said.\nSenior Shuja Uddin, representative of India, said he wants to educate people about the Islamic influences of India.\n"Islam has influenced India in many ways from world-famous architecture such as the Taj Mahal to the language of the poetry, Urdu," Uddin said. "I will have calligraphy, monuments, landmarks, pictures of mosques, and music to present our history."\nKhan, attaining collective effort with Bilal, said he hopes for the event to be a success and hopes for more attendees than last year.\n"I think that it'll be a very diverse group," Khan said. "We expect about 50 to 60 people, mainly Americans because they're curious and want to know more about our cultures."\nBilal is concerned with how successful the event will be.\n"It is our hope that 'Sounds and Visions of Islam' will give the IUB community a glimpse into the diverse world of Islam," she said. "It's always interesting to see how it ends up and to see what kind of people have attended"