With questions swirling every day over the teachings of Islam, as well as the stereotyping of Arab Muslims as terrorists, the Muslim Student Association launched Marquette's first Islam Awareness Week to help dispel myths about the religion and its people.

The group has a display in the Alumni Memorial Union this week, complete with posters and brochures on Islam. MSA has also planned several events for this week to help explain the religion to others.

Abir Chaudhry, a senior and the president of MSA, said there is a need to have the tenets of Islam explained to Marquette students. The group had brought speakers on Islam to Marquette before, but decided that with the negative stigma of 9/11 and the success of Islam Awareness Weeks at other colleges, a full week should be used to explain the religion.

"Basically, we need to bring awareness to them," Chaudhry said. She said although it was not common, she was aware of some students who had thought that Islam was a relatively new religion — it is not, having started in the early 7th century — and some students had distrust for Muslims. Chaudhry did say there was no extreme anti-Muslim sentiment at Marquette and the administration had been helpful and kind to Muslims on campus.

Irfan Omar, an assistant professor in the theology department, said there were differences between Western and Islamic society and that could lead to misunderstanding.

"People are curious about Islam, but they don't get" information from the media, Omar said.

Omar also said he was concerned with some evangelical Christians' misinformation about Islam, citing remarks by vocal right-wing pundits the Rev. Pat Robertson and the Rev. Franklin Graham shortly after 9/11, but he had not noticed an anti-Islam sentiment on campus.

One of the activities of the week was a lecture by Marwin Wafa, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. In front of a gathering of about 20 people, many of them Muslims, Wafa detailed the basic tenets of Islam, saying that he hoped to inform non-Muslims of basic beliefs. Included in his lecture was a brief history of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, and some basic facts about Muslims.

Wednesday, the group showed a documentary on Muhammad. Friday, the group plans to hold a Soup with Substance on the role of women in Islam with a speech by Emraida Kiram, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The week of activities is co-sponsored by the Office of Student Development, Marquette Student Government, the Arab Student Association and Jesuit University Students Together in Concerned Empowerment.