Islamic Awareness Day: Acknowledging Islamic achievements and discoveries

It was learning about women in Islam that impressed Emma Korolew the most about the inaugural Islamic Awareness Day. Organized by Markaz-ul-Islam, the Islamic Centre of Fort McMurray, the day-long event saw over 1,000 people in attendance at MacDonald Island Park on June 7.

“I loved trying on the hijab (Islamic headscarf), and got to keep it too, the henna tattoos, and learning so much about Islam and women’s role in the religion. It’s a great event,” said Korolew.

Projects on various topics about Islam from Fort McMurray Islamic School (FMIS) students, and other schools were a focal point of attention.

Sumayya Imran and Safiya Ahmad did a project on the Muslim discovery of coffee. The FMIS grade seven students shared that the plant was first discovered in Ethiopia by a shepherd, and “because alcohol is prohibited in Islam, it became the favoured drink.”

MLA Don Scott was impressed with the event and the level of depth in the projects. He congratulated the Islamic Centre for a successful awareness celebration.

“I’ve learned about many Muslim contributions to civilization today. Whether it is about parachutes, or coffee, or elephant clocks. The incredible students have impressed me. It’s great to see the Muslim community grow in Fort McMurray,” noted Scott.

Haris Khan won in the Grade 11 category. His project about Science in Islam outlined miracles predicted by the religion 1,400 years ago – being discovered by science only recently.

“The Holy Quran, our Islamic holy book talks about two seas that don’t mix consisting of fresh and salty waters – for example, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Dead Sea was also predicted as the lowest point on dry earth 1,400 years ago,” explained the Westwood Community High School student.

Taimoor Arshad secured first place in the Grade 10 category with his interactive display on Al-Jazari, a 12th century Muslim inventor, mechanical engineer, craftsman, artist and mathematician to name just a few of his vocations. Arshad, a Westwood Community High School, and a budding engineer found him intriguing when his mentors suggested Al-Jazari.

“When I researched him, I knew I had my project. It was great to have it on display at the entrance and have people stopping to ask questions. Islamic Awareness Day was an amazing day,” he shared.

Local community leader Kyle Harrietha was also impressed with the breadth of the day.

“Islamic Awareness Day illustrates the amazing diversity of Fort McMurray. I was a student of Muslim history in university, so I know Muslims found chemistry, Algebra, and more. Muslim scholars have laid the foundation for Western civilization for millennia,” Harrietha shared.

Bushra Naseer, helped oversee the event, and said the response was “more than great.”

“Our volunteers did a great job. The children didn’t want to leave, and we had a great response from the community. Thank you to everyone for an incredibly memorable day,” shared Naseer.

Islamic Awareness Day also featured free coffee, a busy kids’ corner with face painting, games, a balloon artist, and traditional food.

The Islamic Centre of Fort McMurray was established in 1983. The congregation plans to make this an annual event.

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