Monday, November 1, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 5
Islam lecture series ends tomorrow
By Irina Rodriguez Special to the Kansan
People have a perception that Islam is a murder-condoning religion and they do not stop to think if it is true, said Beverly Mack, associate professor of African & African-American studies and one of the organizers of a series of lectures on Islam for the KU faculty.
The five-lecture mini-course, organized by the Office of international programs, covers a variety of topics and hopes to dispel popular misconceptions about Islam. The weekly lectures, which started on Oct. 5, are designed to encourage faculty and staff to explore and discuss issues connected with the religion. The lectures also are open to students.
"We felt the situation was really ripe for doing this, in part because we're starting to give more attention to Islamic culture on campus," said Paul D'Anteri, associate dean of international programs and associate professor of political science. "But Islam
also continues to receive shallow, unsophisticated portrayal in the Western culture. It only comes on the news when something bad happens."
Topics of the lectures are "Introduction to Islam," "Islam Gifts to the West," "Western Perspective on Islamic Family Law," "Islamic Groups in Palestine and Egypt" and "Arab Identity in Islamic Context."
The last lecture will be at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Pine Room in the Kansas Union.
Mack, who gave the introductory lecture, said people had a lot of questions about the stereotypes on Islam. One example was the interpretation of the Arabic word jihad, usually understood to mean the Holy war. She said the first definition of jihad is the struggle to achieve inner peace or God's will. By extension, it might also mean defending oneself or one's faith, which creates the misconception that it means war.
"Islam, like all religions, naturally, promotes peace," Mack said.
Mack, who lived in Northern Nigeria for three years, said she saw for herself the injustice of the stereotype about the servility of women in Islamic countries.
"I've seen women who were more independent than some women in the West," Mack said.
She said Islam was a very education-oriented religion and concerned with the fulfillment of intellectual talents. She said she saw many women working as radio and newspaper reporters, architects and in many other professions.
"It was certainly not the image of a Muslim woman I got in the West," Mack said.
She said the attitudes toward gender roles also might vary from culture to culture, depending on how pariarchal or egalitarian it is. Even within one culture, gender roles might vary depending on the generations and historical or socioeconomic situations.
Mack said the stereotype about women wearing veils, which is taken as sign of servility, was explained by the culture that values women's modest behavior.
And not all women wear it.
Ahmed Zafer, a married Saudi Arabian graduate student, said the Islamic religion told men to take good care of women.
Zafar said he has had to put up with the unfair stereotype of a Muslim terrorist since he came to the United States.
"As soon as people find out I'm a Muslim, they assume that I kill and I mistreat my wife," he said.
Lotfi Bennour, lecturer in African & African-American studies, will give the last lecture of the series, explaining the interrelation between Arabism and Islam tomorrow.
"Women wear veils or scarves to cover their beauty from the evil eye, but I don't make my wife wear a scarf. It's her choice, and she feels more comfortable wearing it," he said.
He said dispelling stereotypes about Islam was a matter of time.
"The more we talk about it, the fewer stereotypes people will have." Bennour said.
- Edited by Beckv Stauffer
Spring break option links students, service
By Emily Hughey
writer@kansan.com
Kanson staff writer
Spring break doesn't have to be about skiing or sunbathing. There are some alternatives.
Alternative Spring Break, organized through the Center for Community Outreach, has provided community service-oriented spring break alternatives for five years.
Shelly Walston, co-coordinator of the program, said she went on her first alternative break last spring and had been hooked ever since.
"I fell in love with the program, and I fell in love with the people," said Walston, Wichita senior. "It was a really good way for me to get into community service and community development."
Through the program, students can travel to one of 14 cities based on five different sub-categories. Students can apply for the site that best corresponds with their interests: Health and Wellness, Education, Hunger and Homelessness, Conservation or Cultural Diversity.
This year, the program will offer trips to Washington, D.C. Tahlequah, Oka.; Bristol, Fla.; Houston; New Orleans; Warm Springs, Ga; Georgetown, S.C. New York City; Golden
Pond, Ky.; Alamosa, Colo.; Chicago; Nashville, Tenn.; Philadelphia; and El Paso, Texas.
The projects, which vary from site to site, may include working on a newspaper for the homeless, helping families with AIDS and living and working in a homeless shelter, a boy's home or at an American Indian reservation.
While most traditional spring break getaways to tropical or mountain paradises can cost almost $1,000, Alternative Spring Break trips cost $165. The fee covers transportation to and from the site, housing and meals.
Walston said student groups traveled to the site in 10-person vans; stayed in churches, homes or shelters; and they prepared their own meals. She said the experience was life-changing for most.
"It's so amazing to see when people come back from their trips," Walston said. "They're so charged about community service, and they come back with such fabulous experiences."
Erin Day, St. Francis sophomore, said she was applying to participate in the program this year.
"It's just something I've really wanted to do," Day said. "It's a wonderful opportunity." Although she has not yet been accepted, Day said she chose the program instead of the traditional spring break options because she'd
heard others rave about their experiences.
"Spring break is often characterized as an opportunity to go and party and get suntanned with your friends." Day said. "With Alternative Spring Break, maybe you can change someone's life. Hopefully I'll get a chance to do it."
Walston said every time she saw people return from alternative breaks with positive experiences, it reinforced the program's mission.
"We think it's really important to create life-long links between students and service," Walston said. "That's our mission."
Applications for Alternative Spring Break are available at the CCO office at 400 Kansas Union. They are due at 5 p.m. November 15.
Before going on the trip, students must enroll in HDLF 606: Special Projects in the Community. The class, which will meet weekly during the spring semester, prepares students for the social issues they will face while on their trips and gives the groups the opportunity to acquaint themselves with each other. The class may be taken for zero, one or two credit hours.
For students not interested in spending seven days on a service trip, the program will offer five to six weekend breaks throughout the spring semester.
Edited by Katie Hollar
Dinner to support organization's trip to attend protest
By Erinn R. Barcomb
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Latin American Solidarity will try to turn beans and rice into dollars and cents tomorrow.
The organization is having a beans and rice dinner to raise money for a trip to Fort Bening, Ga. The purpose of the trip will be to protest the School of the Americas.
The event will start at 6 p.m. at Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread Ave.
School of the Americas Watch is organizing the three-day protest from Nov. 19 to 21. According to SOA watch, the school maintains that it trains Latin American leaders to subvert anti-democratic activities in their countries. Groups like SOA Watch, however, assert that the school trains assassins who utilize skills in torture and tactics that go against human rights targeting innocent people.
Jane Stoever, Overland Park senior, attended the protest with 7,000 others last year. She said she was one of 2,319 people who committed civil disobedience by trespassing onto the school's property at last year's event.
"Last year there were so many people, they weren't ready for us," she said. "We were expecting to be arrested, but they put us on a bus."
Stoever said the police drove them miles away from the protest site and handed them letters telling them not to cross the line again that day.
"The decision to cross the line is a very solemn one," she said. "They really want people to be cooperative and not yell or act out in any way."
Steve said the civil disobedience usually occurred on Sunday and was preceded by a mock funeral procession. She said caskets were carried, and people linked arms four across. As they cross the line, they say the name of someone who was killed by a graduate of the School of the Americas. She said the others yelled "presente" to demonstrate that person's memory was present and would not be forgotten.
Stoever said she was going with a group from Kansas City so that she could go with her family. She said there are 28 spots open for KU students to attend.
Matthew Koepep, Fayetteville, Ark., graduate student and vice president of Latin American Solidarity, said 25 or 26 were signed up now.
"It's just going to be a party," he said.
Aside from the dinner tomorrow, a fund raiser will take place starting at 9:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Coco Loco Mexican Cafe, 943 Massachusetts St.
The group will receive the $5 per person cover price minus the rent of the building, which Koepee estimated to be about $300. He said the cost of the trin would be about $1,000.
"Each person will have to pay a little of their own money, but the rest should come from fund raising," he said.
Edited by Becky Stouffer
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