Samantha Stetzer/ Winonan
Rashed Ferdous peeked over the podium in Somsen Hall’s Harriet Johnson Auditorium explaining the day he knew the people of his religion would never be the same again.
Ferdous, a member of the Islamic Resource Group, which is a group that advocates positive images of Islam, was invited by the Muslim Student Association (MSA) to speak to Winona State University about Islam and the stereotypes surrounding the religion at their Beyond Stereotypes event earlier this month.
That night, as he described the terror of Sept. 11, 2001 and seeing the towers fall as he walked into his movie class in college, he stood as a stark contrast to the stereotypes of his religion.
Since that day, violence and hate groups have come to the forefront in the name if Islam, and hate has risen against the religion, Ferdous said.
But Ferdous had one statement to those who think these groups are actually Islamic.
“I wouldn’t even call them animals because animals act better than that,” Ferdous said. “This violence was never heard of before.”
According to Ferdous, these groups have killed more Muslims than anyone else.
The most common misconception about the religion is they are full of hate because of groups like ISIS portraying the wrong image, Ferdous said.
Junior Momin Choudhry, president of MSA, said Ferdous is a good friend of the club and is a common Muslim speaker.
Choudhry said he hoped the event shows people the truth about Islam.
“Muslims, we may have a different belief than other individuals, but we are average individuals who are a part of this same society as other individuals,” Choudhry said. “We go to school, we’re lawyers, we’re doctors, we’re professors, we go to the gym, we do everyday normal things. Us being Muslim and Islam does not make us any different, it does not make us any more violent, it does not make us any more dangerous to society.”
A handful of community members, professors, students and Winona State’s President Scott Olson filled the lower level of the auditorium, as the soft-spoken Ferdous explained the basic concepts of Islam.
Ferdous said Islam is monotheistic, which is often not known.
People, who fully submit themselves to God, Ferdous said, practice Islam, which means submissive.
Muslims still believe in Jesus Christ as a prophet and in heaven and hell, but they do not have a specified clergy like most religions. Instead, according to Ferdous, they have members who lead them in prayer and worship.
Choudhry said he hoped the event helped people understand a religion that represents such a large part of the population.
“I just want people to walk out of here with an increased knowledge base on a religion that hosts 1.7 million people,” Choudhry said. “With so many Muslims living on campus, in the city, in the state and in the nation, I just see it as an intermural part of their knowledge base or something they should know about to at least counter some of the negative views.”
People, Ferdous said, should challenge the negative views about the religion because the reality of Islam is actually peace.
