(New York - 3/21/09)
"For
seven years now, Shuruq (Arabic for Sunrise) has been a celebration of Islam's
rich diversity. Shuruq raises awareness of Islam and Muslims in an experiential
way, through emphasis on lived realities and artistic expressions, working to
build an attitude of harmony and mutual understanding within the New York City
community. For two weeks every year, Shuruq puts together a series of
increasingly popular events on NYU's campus to highlight the breadth of culture,
music, literature, religion and politics throughout the Muslim world --
including America's millions of Muslims.
Shuruq 2009 kicks off on
Monday,
March 23rd, at the Kimmel Center, with "Cultural Passport: Explore the
Taste of
the Muslim Palate", an opening banquet featuring cuisine from across the
Muslim
world. Shuruq 2009 will host a number of events across campus, bringing to the
University and to the City a chance to hear from, learn and engage with noted
activists, academics, performers and American Muslims leaders. This represents
for many New Yorkers an excellent opportunity to understand American Islam,
where it has come from and where it is going.
"We started Shuruq
in
2002," says Haroon Moghul (NYU CAS '02), the Islamic Center Director of
Public
Relations. "Islam is so many different places, languages and peoples. Islam
was
adopted by so many people, in so many places, that it is never just one thing.
And we in America are building an Islam that inspires our reality and reflects
our experience."
Shermeen Rahman, Chair of Shuruq 2009, says
"We hope
that through this series of entertaining and educational events people will see
that Islam manifests itself in many different ways. Shuruq's goal is to shed
light on these facets of Islam that are often ignored in today's society and
encourage a much lacking communication between American Muslims and the broader
society we are part of." "American Muslims have
to
proactively engage the communities that we are connected to," says Imam Khalid Latif, Director and Chaplain of the Islamic
Center at
NYU. "We are working to engage our fellow New Yorkers, communicating
through
many different ways, through music and movies, food and festivals, teach-ins and
workshops, that Islam is a big tent, and there is a lot of room in that tent for
a lot of experiences."
For a complete listing of this year's
events,
please visit www.icnyu.org/shuruq
All events are free and
open to the public. Members of the University and New York City residents are
especially encouraged to attend.
The
Islamic Center at NYU serves the Muslim population at New York University, a
private institution of higher education and research located in lower Manhattan.
The Islamic Center at NYU is overseen by the Office of the Muslim Chaplain,
established in April 2007 to meet the needs of a growing Muslim
community.
Inspired by the idea that America's Muslim community will
best
develop in a supportive environment, the Islamic Center has not only seen
tremendous increase in membership but has motivated its student population to
find new ways of harnessing their resources and expanding their relationships
with the wider community.
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