Muslim Student Union tackle stereotypes, misconceptions

Nearly 40 people gathered in Willkie Quad center building Tuesday to watch the FX Networks sitcom “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and learn about an often misunderstood faith.

The viewing was part of “It’s (Not) Always Sunni in Bloomington” – a 90 minute panel discussion organized by the Muslim Student Union and the CommUNITY Education Program.

Taufik Chhotani, Muslim Student Union vice president, said the event’s goal was to use an episode titled “The Gang Goes Jihad” to help address misconceptions about Muslims in America.

“One of our fundamental goals is to show people what Islam is all about,” Chhotani said. “We want to shed light on what Islam is so when other people see Muslim people, they can relate to them and they can get to know them.”

The talk, moderated by Willkie CommUNITY educator Annissa Michael, began by showing a series of snippets from the episode and having the panel discuss what issues the clips brought up.

The panel consisted of Chhotani, senior Sohaib Sajjad and graduate student Sarah Thompson.

After watching a clip in which the characters pretended to be Muslim terrorists by wearing shrouds on their faces and screaming guttural nonsense, Michael asked the panel what their feelings were towards the way Muslims are portrayed in the media.

Each panel member agreed that while the stereotype was being used humorously in this instance, problems arise when other forms of media such as newspapers and broadcast news stations portray Muslims in a similar fashion.

Thompson, an Indiana-native who was born to Catholic and Southern Baptist parents, converted to Islam two years ago. Thompson said Islam is an incredibly diverse religion and the media’s constant portrayal of one Muslim stereotype, “is heartbreaking.”

“Sometimes it feels like I am drowning,” she said.

After 40 minutes of clips and discussion, the audience was told they could break for a 10-minute intermission.

During this time, some of the Islamic panelists and audience members slipped off their shoes and partook in the sunset prayer. Those not praying or eating snacks outside the classroom were invited to quietly observe.

After the intermission, the panelists answered questions from the audience that had been anonymously written on slips of paper.

The first question asked if the panelists ever felt unsafe being a Muslim in America in the aftermath of the Sept. 11th attacks.

Chhotani said that, though his family was threatened and had beer bottles thrown at them during the months following the attacks, he did not really feel unsafe.

“I think the United States did a great job of making clear that terrorism and Islam were different things,” Chhotani said. “They are not and should never be synonymous.”

Senior Kiara Abdulla, an Islamic member of the audience, said that the Islamic school she attended as a seventh-grader on Sept. 11th was attacked by angry non-Muslims.

“I was ducking for cover under a desk,” she said. “On 9/11, I still don’t leave my house.”

The panelists said that terrorists who use Islam as an excuse for their violence are not true Muslims.

“Acts of terrorism are condemned in Islam,” Chhotani said. “When people use Islam as a scapegoat for their terrorism, that really frustrates me. In Islam, it’s considered a sin to kill a tree. If that’s a sin, imagine what the punishment for killing an innocent person is.”