2008 Woodie Awards
Project Nur hopes to enlighten students about the Muslim culture
Kristine Duker
Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: News
Sacred Heart University has become "enlightened."
A new chapter of Project Nur has been opened on campus. The project, which is a student-lead initiative of the American Islamic Congress (AIC), is being co-sponsored by the Middle Eastern Studies Program.
The AIC is a Muslim civil rights organization that works to promote tolerance and exchange ideas between Muslims and non-Muslims. Nur, which is Arabic for "enlightenment," will help students from all backgrounds and cultures to understand the differences and bring knowledge to their communities.
"Project Nur aims to engage SHU students through various events on topics of human rights, social dinners, intimate dialogues and other interactive activities with the purpose of building bridges between students through cross-cultural communication," said Sana Saeed, director of Project Nur.
In an interview with Jason-Guberman-Pfeffer, a Civil Rights Fellow with Hands Across the Mideast Support Alliance, another initiative of the AIC, and SHU Nur organizer, he said that in this "time when understanding of 'the other' has never been so vital, and yet is so seldom attained, Project Nur, in the spirit of the Enlightenment, seeks to foster the freedom of inquiry by bringing together students from various backgrounds to engage in critical dialogue."
"The hope of Project Nur is that students will come to recognize the ignorance embodied by stereotypes and other forms of anti-Muslim bigotry, and the necessity to openly discuss issues within the Muslim community that have previously been neglected for fear of discrimination," said Guberman-Pfeffer.
In Aug. 2007, a group of students in the Washington D.C. area began to work together to bring awareness about the genocide that is going on in Darfur. The students from there decided to further their work and realized that there needed to be a student group on campus that dealt with raise awareness of issues between Muslims and non-Muslims.
A new chapter of Project Nur has been opened on campus. The project, which is a student-lead initiative of the American Islamic Congress (AIC), is being co-sponsored by the Middle Eastern Studies Program.
The AIC is a Muslim civil rights organization that works to promote tolerance and exchange ideas between Muslims and non-Muslims. Nur, which is Arabic for "enlightenment," will help students from all backgrounds and cultures to understand the differences and bring knowledge to their communities.
"Project Nur aims to engage SHU students through various events on topics of human rights, social dinners, intimate dialogues and other interactive activities with the purpose of building bridges between students through cross-cultural communication," said Sana Saeed, director of Project Nur.
In an interview with Jason-Guberman-Pfeffer, a Civil Rights Fellow with Hands Across the Mideast Support Alliance, another initiative of the AIC, and SHU Nur organizer, he said that in this "time when understanding of 'the other' has never been so vital, and yet is so seldom attained, Project Nur, in the spirit of the Enlightenment, seeks to foster the freedom of inquiry by bringing together students from various backgrounds to engage in critical dialogue."
"The hope of Project Nur is that students will come to recognize the ignorance embodied by stereotypes and other forms of anti-Muslim bigotry, and the necessity to openly discuss issues within the Muslim community that have previously been neglected for fear of discrimination," said Guberman-Pfeffer.
In Aug. 2007, a group of students in the Washington D.C. area began to work together to bring awareness about the genocide that is going on in Darfur. The students from there decided to further their work and realized that there needed to be a student group on campus that dealt with raise awareness of issues between Muslims and non-Muslims.
Be the first to comment on this story