Students, community members and guests were treated to a lecture, a cultural fashion show, and Middle Eastern food at the JHU Muslim Students Association's Annual Spring Banquet on Saturday.
About 220 people showed up at the mauve and white decorated Glass Pavilion, where the event was hosted.
The program opened with a comic skit and brief introduction by Vice President AbdulAhad Rehmatulla and Social Chair Tala Al Talib.
Syed Omar Hassan, a junior and MSA member, gave a recitation of some verses from the Quran, in the traditional way of inaugurating a Muslim ceremony.
The banquet centered around the keynote speaker of the evening, Dr. Muhammad Nimer, the director of research at the Washington D.C.-based Council of American Islamic Relations. Organizing his talk around the topic "American Muslims and the World after September 11th," Dr. Nimer presented an in-depth look at the diverse experiences and viewpoints of American Muslim communities after Sept. 11.
Noting the rise of professionals in Muslim community leaderships, Nimer said, "Muslims are an increasing part of global structures. September 11 had at least the positive effect of recognizing the century-old communal presence of Muslims in America."
Nimer also touched on the anxieties of Muslims in the U.S after that landmark date.
The Justice Department's numerous arrests of Muslim civilians have strengthened both intercommunity ties and tensions, he said.
"Relations with the government are tense, as Muslims perceive religious and ethnic profiling to be a big part of Ashcroft's policy especially targeted towards them," said Nimer.
"It was great to have a critical and academic analysis of the situation in past and present times," said Faisal Karmali, a bioengineering graduate student, in response to the speech.
Dinner was catered from Kabob Place, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Virginia. Traditional Middle Eastern dishes, such as samosas, rice, chickpeas gravy, naan and kabobs, were served to the guests. Attendees with a penchant for Arabian desserts satisfied their sweet tooth on baklava, a confection made of pastry, nuts and honey.
"The food was excellent, and I enjoyed the keynote speaker," said sophomore Matt Pagano.
"[It was] very festive," noted junior Rahayu Ramli, "The turnout is always good, and it's a great place to network with people and enjoy good food."
Entertainment was the focus in the latter half of the evening. Sophomore Manu Sharma demonstrated his classical Indian music training in a vocal performance of selections from 19th century love poetry of India.
"My first song was a classical Indian vocal, and my second was a ghazal, which is romantic poetry," explained Sharma. "I was very excited to be given the opportunity to support the MSA."
For the finale, the MSA staged a fashion show highlighting the diverse dresses and styles of Muslims across the world. Students modeled outfits ranging from the cultures of Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Africa, Malaysia and the Middle East, all the way to contemporary New Jersey grunge.
Sophomore Rabeeta Khan modeled a Bangladeshi sari, while junior Andleeb Khan showed a Pakistani sharara, an embroidered tunic with a long skirt.
On the men's side, freshman Nurain Fuseini wore a flowing West African tunic and trousers.
The MSA board had the last word on the banquet.
"I think people had a good time," said MSA President Tabish Mustafa. "We put a lot of work in this and I'm glad we got positive results."
Rehmatulla felt the event demonstrated the "color and diversity of Islam."
"It shows how Islam caters to people of all ethnicities; we had Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Indians, Arabs, Malaysians, Whites and a West African participate in the evening's program," said Rehmatulla. "I think that says something about both Islam and us as a group. Our doors are open to all.
