Awareness Week Generates Backlash of Comments

Posted: Oct 26, 2011 4:04 PM by Christie Nicks
Updated: Oct 26, 2011 5:01 PM

COLUMBIA- The Muslim Student Organization encouraged MU students to wear a pink hijab or headscarf on Wednesday to raise funds for breast cancer research--just one event in this year's Islam Awareness week. But growing responses to the week and its events on Mizzou's Facebook page have generated an on-going conversation marred by what some call racist comments and leading to MU reminding users to comment respectfully.

Fahreeha Amir is the secretary of the Muslim Student Organization. She said the negative comments prove why the organization needs the awareness week.

"Islam is not a negative religion," said Amir, "I feel all the negative things that people know about Islam are like misunderstandings and we're trying to break the misunderstandings."

One example of a comment on MU's Facebook page mentioned Islam in the context of September 11th. To that, comments followed saying Islam is not a religion of violence. Another type of comment stated that Mizzou doesn't hold a Jewish or Christian Awareness week so should why there be one for Islam?

Amir added that this year's growing Facebook response far outnumbers last years.

Video Coverage http://www.komu.com/videoplayer/?video_id=4562&categories=5

Source: KOMU http://www.komu.com/news/awareness-week-generates-backlash-of-comments/