As part of Islamic Awareness Month, Amir Abdel Malik spoke about the misconceptions of jihad in the media and explained his view of the meaning behind the word on Tuesday at Cal State Long Beach.
” ‘Jihad’ is a struggle we all share as humans,” Malik said.
“Too many of us are getting our information from CNN and FOX News and sometimes the print media,” Malik said. “It’s not giving us an accurate picture as to what’s going on in the world today.”
The few CSULB students in attendance expressed some of their opinions about Malik’s speech.
“There was some controversy raised about this speaker and I actually thought more people would be protesting because today is Peace Day,” said Bowe Fertig, a senior journalism student. “I thought he did a good job. My understanding of jihad was expanded, but it’s hard because you never know if the speaker is telling the truth.”
Fertig went on to say, “I thought he did an effective job of conveying what he wanted in a positive way.”
The majority of students at the speech were members of the Muslim Student Association. Mohammed Mana, a junior economics major and MSA member, said he felt Islamic Awareness Month was a great opportunity to dispel misconceptions, with speeches and events throughout the month creating a greater diversity on campus.
“[It] shows … we can be closer together and see the similarities we have, that we would not normally see between each other,” Mana said. “We attended these programs and we mix together, and it adds to the color and richness of this campus community.”
Sarah Admani, president of the MSA, said, “We are raising awareness about a lot of topics of Islam.”
Alayna Albert, a junior and political science major, said, “I caught a few words and I liked what he had to say.” She went on to say, “He talked a lot about current issues with Obama being elected and how change will only happen if we push him to change things.”
She added that she had not heard much about what jihad meant but liked his comparing it to the American struggle.
Malik said the national economic struggle should not be looked at as a bad thing to be feared.
“Some of us will go through this struggle and realize there is more in life than material things … In many instances struggle is good, struggle is necessary, struggle is purifying,” Malik said.
“Struggle is something if we engage in properly, with the right attitude, we come out better people,” Malik said.
“In living in a time like this, it is very important to get information, the right information,” Malik said. “If you are to look on TV, jihad has only one meaning: ‘holy war.'”
Malik said this is not true, and that jihad means “exerting oneself to the utmost.”
” ‘Jihad’ means struggle,” Malik said. “Any human being, no matter what color they are, no matter what language they speak, no matter what culture they come from, as a human progresses in life and grows in life and develops in life, any stage of development there is struggle.”
Malik went on to say, “And those of you on this campus trying to get your degrees, it requires you to exert yourself to the utmost, it requires a struggle,” Malik said. “The one constant in life is struggle.”