Written by Åsmund Løvdal.
Last week the Islamic Society launched its Discover Islam Week 2014 with the aim to educate students about the religion.
Jammil Ahmed, spokesman for the society says he hoped many took advantage of the events on offer to learn more about Islam or just be social.
He said: “We wanted to give students and staff at the university a possibility to broaden their knowledge of Islam, and to get answers to questions they might have about the religion.”
“The week was not all about serious stuff, we also had a bake-off competition, film screening and gaming night to relax and have fun.”
Jammil hopes their campaign removed some negative misconceptions about Islam and Muslims.
He said: “Fueled by recent and current events, a number of people in Britain have come to believe that Islam promotes violence—that is not true.”
“Stereotyping either way is never good for society, openness and dialogue is the best way to make us more open minded.”
The theme for this year’s week was “get your community green.” Jammil says the Islamic Society chose this theme to highlight climate change and how different groups in our community must work together to make it greener and more sustainable.
He said: “Through these events we hoped to interact more with the wider student body, to show we can strive towards the same goals even if we come from different perspectives.”
“We are part of an on-going campaign across Europe to mobilise young Muslims to protect the environment, care for animals and respect natural resources.”