Islamic Awareness Club

Students get together to spread the peaceful message of Islam. (Katie Groat)

The Islamic Awareness Club held a “silent protest” at Saddleback College on Wednesday, Oct. 19 to bring awareness to the campus students and staff about Islamic culture.

“We are doing this to raise awareness especially around this time with the election that is causing a lot of attention with the media,” said Nathalie Chehayeb, 20, cell and molecular biology major, who is the president of the Islamic Awareness Club.

After the events of Sep. 11, 2001, coverage on the Islamic community increased throughout the news and social media as well as the way Islam was framed in the camera’s eye.

Trump said he wanted to make all Muslim-Americans register with a governmental database, according to CNN.

“We want people to know what Islam is really about and how we can all lie together in peace,” Chehayeb said.

The concern of this strict segregation was not only through the presidential campaigns but also through our campus. Students of the upcoming club walked around campus holding signs that wrote “hug a Muslim” going up to people and offering free hugs.

“The [Islamic Awareness] club is not only about Muslim people, I have a lot of people on board that are not Muslims, this club is really just about diversity and coming together in peace,” Chehayeb said.

Chehayeb said the club is designed to raise awareness about the Islamic religion and Muslim cultures as well as talking through questions, topics, and issues people have and discussions of these topics can easy be talked about in a calm manner through this club.

“I feel that it’s important that everyone feel comfortable around all types of people,” said Afsheen Nikkah, 18, theater arts major. “We should live in a world full of love.”

The club still has yet to decide on a date and place to meet, but for more information or to sign up, go through student development.

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