At 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, about 25 students knelt on the Quad facing northeast. The prayer on the Quad was part of Muslim Awareness Week, sponsored by the Muslim Student Association (MSA).

Omar Galaria, president of MSA, said that the week functions like a watering hole. Just as animals go to a watering hole for nutrition, he said he hopes students participate in the week’s activities to learn more about Islam.

“Part of an education is learning about different religions and cultures. The whole week serves as a forum where students can come interact and dialogue about the religion,” he said.

The week, which started Oct. 15 and ends Oct. 20, has been an annual event for at least the last 10 years, Galaria said.

The week’s events included a lecture called “Women in Islam: Dispelling the rumors, confirming the truth” Tuesday, and the showing of the documentary Muhammad, the Legacy of a Prophet Wednesday. MSA also held Islamic Jeopardy on the Quad throughout the week and a bake sale Thursday to benefit victims of the violence in Darfur, Sudan.

Galaria said the University chapter of MSA was founded in 1963 and currently has about 200 members.

Yasmeen Baig, freshman in LAS, said she has enjoyed the week’s activities.

“I’ve always wanted to be a part of a big Muslim community,” Baig said.

Inas Raouf, freshman in applied life studies, worked the bake sale and answered questions at the booth during the week. She said people have asked for information about Malcolm X, prophets and the general history of Islam.

“It’s really helpful for me to promote Islam and help people learn about it because of some of the illusions people have about it,” Raouf said.

Galaria identified two major misconceptions: the role of women in Islam, which Sr. Mary Ali addressed in the lecture Tuesday, and the belief that Islam is a foreign religion.

Rather than think of Islam as a foreign religion, Galaria said students should understand that being an American and being Muslim are not mutually exclusive.

“Personally, I consider myself an American Muslim. I’m Muslim and American,” he said. “The values go hand in hand; it’s not something that’s conflicting in any way.”

Baig agrees. She said Islam teaches that followers should dress modestly and not eat pork, but the way people choose to exhibit those beliefs will vary based on where they live.

“I think people think (Islam) is a racial religion and that only Asian people or Arab people are Muslim,” Baig said. “They don’t realize that converts are a big part of Islam. Islam could be practiced anywhere; it’s multicultural.”