SHURUQ 2009: THE MANY FACES OF AMERICAN ISLAM

For Immediate Release

SHURUQ 2009: THE MANY FACES OF AMERICAN ISLAM

March 23rd April 5th, 2009

(New York - 3/21/09) For seven years now, Shuruq (Arabic for Sunrise) has been a celebration of Islam's rich diversity. Shuruq raises awareness of Islam and Muslims in an experiential way, through emphasis on lived realities and artistic expressions, working to build an attitude of harmony and mutual understanding within the New York City community. For two weeks every year, Shuruq puts together a series of increasingly popular events on NYUs campus to highlight the breadth of culture, music, literature, religion and politics throughout the Muslim world -- including America's millions of Muslims.

Shuruq 2009 kicks off on Monday, March 23rd, at the Kimmel Center, with Cultural Passport: Explore the Taste of the Muslim Palate, an opening banquet featuring cuisine from across the Muslim world. Shuruq 2009 will host a number of events across campus, bringing to the University and to the City a chance to hear from, learn and engage with noted activists, academics, performers and American Muslims leaders. This represents for many New Yorkers an excellent opportunity to understand American Islam, where it has come from and where it is going.

"We started Shuruq in 2002," says Haroon Moghul (NYU CAS '02), the Islamic Center Director of Public Relations. "Islam is so many different places, languages and peoples. Islam was adopted by so many people, in so many places, that it is never just one thing. And we in America are building an Islam that inspires our reality and reflects our experience."

Shermeen Rahman, Chair of Shuruq 2009, says We hope that through this series of entertaining and educational events people will see that Islam manifests itself in many different ways. Shuruqs goal is to shed light on these facets of Islam that are often ignored in todays society and encourage a much lacking communication between American Muslims and the broader society we are part of.

American Muslims have to proactively engage the communities that we are connected to, says Imam Khalid Latif, Director and Chaplain of the Islamic Center at NYU. We are working to engage our fellow New Yorkers, communicating through many different ways, through music and movies, food and festivals, teach-ins and workshops, that Islam is a big tent, and there is a lot of room in that tent for a lot of experiences.

For a complete listing of this years events, please visit www.icnyu.org/shuruq

All events are free and open to the public. Members of the University and New York City residents are especially encouraged to attend.

The Islamic Center at NYU serves the Muslim population at New York University, a private institution of higher education and research located in lower Manhattan. The Islamic Center at NYU is overseen by the Office of the Muslim Chaplain, established in April 2007 to meet the needs of a growing Muslim community.

Inspired by the idea that Americas Muslim community will best develop in a supportive environment, the Islamic Center has not only seen tremendous increase in membership but has motivated its student population to find new ways of harnessing their resources and expanding their relationships with the wider community.

Todays Islamic Center caters to a wide and growing audience, reaching not only Muslims in New York City but also individuals from other communities. The Islamic Center at NYU is dedicated to fostering a sense of awareness, activism and scholarship amongst the Muslim community both on and off campus

For More information please contact:
The Islamic Center at NYU at 212.998.4712
Khalid Latif: Director/Chaplain, ICNYU at kl442@nyu.edu.
Haroon Moghul: PR Coordinator, ICNYU at moghul@gmail.com
Shermeen Rahman: Chair, Shuruq 2009 at nyushuruq@gmail.com