Islam Studies Group

If the Islamic Studies Group could teach you only three things about Islam, it would be… If the Islamic Studies Group could teach you only three things about Islam, it would be these:

– Islam is not oppressive to women.

“Islam was one of the first religions or teachings that gave the highest privileges to women,” said ISG President Cem Karaman. Karaman noted that women in the United States were granted inheritance rights in the early 20th century, while women in early Muslim societies were granted those rights in the seventh century.

– Islam is not limited to the Middle East.

“There are Muslims in the West, in the Middle East, in Asia, in Europe and in Africa,” Karaman said. “[For] someone who is only watching the TV, the only Muslims he will see are from the Middle East, in very problematic regions.”

– Islam does not condone terrorism.

“There is no such kind of concept in Islam,” Karaman said of the idea that the Islamic notion of jihad means violence against non-Muslims. “Jihad means struggle, and the main part of this struggle is inner struggle.”

To teach these and other basic truths about Islam, Karaman and other Muslim students created the ISG in the spring of 2002.

The group considers itself more of an educational group than a ministry, and it hosts lectures and discussions about Islamic beliefs, practices and history. Its mission is to “contribute to intercultural, interfaith friendship; contribute to the dialogue and mutual understanding between Islam and other religions; and educate people about Islam.”

Karaman added that the group’s formation was particularly timely because of the misconceptions some people had about Islam after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

“[After Sept. 11, 2001,] we observed the stupid things people think about Islam because they don’t know [about the religion],” Karaman said. “They did not learn about it sometime, somewhere in their lifetimes.”

Indeed, there is much to learn about Islam, a 1,400-year-old religion that is currently practiced by an estimated 1.2 billion people – a fifth of the world’s population.

Islam was founded in what is now Saudi Arabia in the seventh century by Mohammad, whom Muslims believe was the last of a series of prophets. Mohammad preached submission to the will of a single, all-powerful God. The strict monotheism he taught contrasted with the predominant polytheistic religions of the area. Muslims also recognize Mohammed as the author of the holy book of Islam, the Koran.

By 750, Islam had become the most prominent religion of the Middle East and had spread to parts of Africa, Asia and Europe. Today, Islam is in a period of growth and, if trends continue, will be the world’s largest religion by 2050.

Despite its expansion, Islam has become controversial in the West. Extremists responsible for hostility against Israel, violence against U.S. interests overseas and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, have inspired the most newsworthy stories about Muslims, overshadowing the religion’s peaceful majority, according to Karaman.

ISG hopes to brighten Pitt students’ conceptions of Muslims with its discussions and lectures.

“Many people who have attended our events have said they learned a lot and their perspectives have changed a lot,” Karaman said.

The academics and experts ISG has invited have lectured about women in Islam, the importance of prayer in the religion, the Islamic conception of God and the Islamic view of Sept. 11, 2001.

Many of the group’s events are meant to create a dialogue between Muslims and people of other religions.

“We realize that not all the people in the U.S. know too much about Islam – [not] as much as they know about Christianity or about Judaism,” said ISG member Ahmet Kaya. “We want to make a connection between two religions or three religions, to understand each other. So we sometimes call speakers to talk about Christianity or Jesus in Islam, and other cross-subjects.”

The group has sponsored Dr. Bekir Aksoy, a prominent speaker on interfaith relations, who addressed what Judaism, Christianity and Islam have in common as Abrahamic religions – those that trace their roots to the prophet Abraham. They also hosted a discussion about Jesus’ standing as an important prophet in Islam.

Karaman said his favorite lecture was given by physicist and Islam scholar Salih Adem, who compared the mysticism of the Sufi sect of Islam to concepts found in the popular “The Matrix” films. Karaman noted that it is sometimes difficult to make people interested in Islam and said that relating the religion to a popular film brought out a sizeable crowd.

Tomorrow, the group will hold its first event of the year, a discussion entitled “Islam, A Healing to Our Inner and Social Problems.” The event will be held in room 511 of William Pitt Union.

Even if students do not attend one of the group’s events, Karaman hopes they will be sensitive concerning the Islamic religion.

“When we believe in something and people are insulting it – sometimes purposefully, sometimes not purposefully – we are hurt.”