UCI Muslims say atmosphere good on campus

Deirdre Newman

UCI CAMPUS -- Aside from a few sporadic incidents, the treatment of

Muslim students on campus has been respectful, student leaders say.

“If I was to compare the treatment of Muslims from last year to this

year, I think we have more respect now,” said Ghaith Aljazzar, president

of the Muslim student union.

Aljazzar and others gathered last week during an on-campus lecture on

the anti-Muslim backlash in local communities.

In one of the few cases of anti-Muslim harassment around campus, a

Muslim lecturer’s house was vandalized, said Prany Sananikone, director

of the campus’ Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity department.

The forum on the Sept. 11 attacks was hosted by the Center for Global

Peace and Conflict Studies and featured Ra’id Faraj of the Council on

American-Islamic Relations.

The goal of the forum was to foster a better understanding of the

Islamic religion and the attitudes of Muslims both in the United States

and abroad.

Faraj emphasized that every Muslim in the United States in a

leadership position has issued a press release condemning the “heinous”

terrorist attacks.

Aljazzar said he has been impressed with the treatment of Muslims on

campus since the attacks.

The union hosted a vigil immediately after the attacks with speakers

of different backgrounds to “clear the air,” Aljazzar said.

Muslim student Alia Aboul-Nasr said the amount of support she has

received has been unbelievable. Aboul-Nasr said she was afraid to go out

to the grocery store to buy milk after the attacks. But she was comforted

by an interaction she had with an elderly Jewish woman.

“She took my hand and said, ‘It’s going to be OK, it’s not your

fault,” Aboul-Nasr said.

Hakim Haidar, the former president of UCI’s Afghanistan club, said the

best way for Americans to understand Muslims is to become educated about

their culture and religion and listen to what they have to say.

In response to a question asking how a peaceful religion like Islam

can be reconciled with a holy war, Faraj explained that there is no such

thing as holy war in Islam.

“The word ‘jihad’ means ‘to strive in order to improve yourself,”’

Faraj said. “Fanatics are in every culture, every place.”

Fountain Valley resident Jim Orr said he thought the forum was

thought-provoking.

“What I learned and what I’m most grateful for seeing is that Muslim

students are not being harassed, especially [Aboul-Nasr’s] experience,”

Orr said. “That’s America.”