The News

November 16, 2012

News
MURRAY STATE GOES INTERNATIONAL

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International lecture series boasts high participation

Ben Manhanke ||
Staff writer
bmanhanke@murraystate.edu

International Education Week, an annual lecture series sponsored by the Institute for International Studies at Murray State which aims to educate students and community members on the importance of global education and awareness, ended Thursday night. The series, hosted by ISS and spanning four days, included a total of 27 presentations on a variety of topics. The turnout of this years events was higher than other similar events hosted in the past. A large portion of these events were dedicated to promoting the study abroad program and international travel. The week was kicked off by two lectures: London 2012: Out of My Comfort Zone and Into My Element presented by Rachel Isom and Get the Taste of Life by Bassel Alhashemi both geared towards giving a student perspective of what studying abroad is like. The Arab Spring: Reflections from MSU Students, a multimedia presentation by four international students from Yemen, Egypt, Syria and Libya respectively focused on the unprecedented number of revolutions, demonstrations and protests across the Arab world beginning in 2010. Osama Benyaia, an exchange student from Libya, spoke about what it was like to live under the reign of dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who ruled Libya for 43 years and who didnt allow any elections to take place. He said most of Gaddafis govern-

ment was filled with his close friends and family people who would not question his authority. Benyaia showed the audience pictures of his hometown, Tripoli, the capital of Libya, which is now in ruins after the intense fighting between pro-Gaddafi soldiers and rebels, and spoke on post-Gaddafi Libya. A country he said is still feeling the impact of violence even after Gaddafis death in 2011. Not all the events of the week were as politically charged as The Arab Spring; Jie Wu, assistant professor within the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, in collaboration with the International Cultures and Language Association (ICALA) taught a handson workshop on Chinese calligraphy Tuesday night. An International Bazaar was held in the Curris Center Ballroom Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Approximately 600 students from surrounding elementary, middle and high schools attended the event. There were 22 countries represented by displays and by flags in the ballroom. Each arrangement was supervised by a student from their respective country who answered questions and elaborated on their displays information. The international students created the displays themselves and chose what information to share about their native country. Displays were diverse. Some included video presentations, items from the country, informational pamphlets and pictures. At the Japanese booth people were

Beamer Barron/The News

Ewa Wantulok, senior from Wisla, Poland, shows a group of students from several regional elementary, middle and high schools how to make a display from construction paper. There were more than 27 countries represented at the Internation Education Week in total.
allowed to make their own origami and those that visited the South Korean display could get their faces painted, dress in traditional clothing and play the popular Korean game Gonggi. Other events were targeted at faculty specifically. On Thursday, education professor Lee Kem and assistant education professor Jennifer Wyatt led a panel discussion with international students from Murray State graduate programs and other faculty to discuss the implementing of teaching and advising strategies that are better suited for international students. At an event geared toward LGBT students studying abroad, faculty, staff and alumnna shared insight into the impact sexual identity may have on a students experience travelling abroad. At the event a key focus was how a students identity can enhance experiences in both positive and negative ways in another culture. Bill McKibben, associate director of international studies, said International Education Week is a good way to share and learn about new cultures. Said McKibbon: International Education Week helps to open the eyes of our student body ... this is a chance to see that there are other cultures out there and to be a global citizen.

Beamer Barron/The News

Photo courtesy of Marion Taylor

Taufiq Rashid, senior lecturer of Humanities and Fine Arts, spoke Tuesday about the most successful religions and why they have remained relevant.

Panelists discuss Islamic faith

Sam Villanueva || Staff writer
svillanueava@murraystate.edu

PAPRIKA: Don Robertson, vice president of Student Affairs, stops by a program created to facilitate an interaction between international students and American students ended up allowing both groups to learn more about other people from around the globe. The program is named to describe the spice of culture and diversity that is represented at Murray State.

To help combat confusion and explain the nature of the Islamic faith, several professors held a panel discussion on Tuesday, during International Week, to help bring about discussion on the topic. Brian Clardy, assistant professor and coordinator of Religious Studies, led the panel, along with the aid of Taufiq Rashid, senior lecturer and Zachery Heern, professor. Each of the panelists work within the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. Clardy began the panel by stating the overall objectives, which included a brief history on the religion of Islam. Islam is definitely a religion of tolerance, peace and goodwill, he said. It is a religion that not only has spanned centuries but has, to date, 1.6 billion followers all over. It follows the basic Abrahamic traditions and sticks to its own written word with the Quran. Clardy raised numerous questions at the event to help set the tone of discussion. He asked where the religion going, has the golden age of Islam happened and how could Mohamed Gandhis biography, a film cause a global impact? The panel was created to promote serious, intellectual dialogues throughout the University, he said. Clardy said diversity is among one of the greatest assets Murray State possesses. He said he hopes students will take from the panel a new perspective. He said students need to debunk the stereo-

types and that he believed it was important to stop seeing foreign as different. Heerns discussion focused on the history of the religion and the important advancements made by Islam, developments that contribute to the western world. He said when people look at Islam through a historical lens they see so many great contributions that are overlooked, and that the Islamic countries have been the middlemen of trade.

Islam is definitely a religion of tolerance, peace and good will. It is a religion that not only has spanned centuries but has, to date, 1.6 billion followers all over.It follows the basic Abrahamic traditions and sticks to its own written word with the Quran.
Brian Clardy
Assistant professor
Heern said some of the most basic humanistic knowledge is based on the translations of Islamic works. He believes that the religion is in its golden age and one great thing about Muslim culture is the followers have no history of racial divisions like the Western Civilization has. Heern said one of the biggest problems that Islam faces is nationalism, because a large number of the countries were settled by European powers. On the other hand, though, Horn said something that is not greatly realized is most Muslims do accept modern technology. For example, Al Qaeda is very adept in using the Internet, he said. Although

most reject enlightenment principals, modern technology is something they, as a majority, are very open to grasping, even if it may be for warfare. The two terrorist groups, the Taliban and Al Qaeda, were a theme at the panel as Heern said they are among the more intense of Islamic sectors. He said the easiest way to explain was to say those two groups do not only target Western civilizations, but they target anyone who does not fit within their standards. This is the reason why there are actually more attacks within the Muslim world itself than is realized, Heern said. Rashid wrapped up the discussion by asking the audience what makes a religion successful. He listed three things as making a religion successful: adaptability, change with time and geographical converts. The three most popular religions in the world Buddhism, Christianity and Islam are examples. What makes them so successful is their ability to adapt and change, Rashid said. The harder the conversion process, the less number of people. He said what makes Islam different from other religions is it maintains its identity with both belief and practice, but the standards of practice may change according to location. He said being a Muslim in Baghdad is different then being a Muslim in Calcutta. Said Rashid: They are the same at the core but they have different practices.

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