Muslims in Oklahoma Project Updated

   

Suhayb Anwar is a Muslim living in Oklahoma. He is a normal student at the University of Oklahoma. He has classes, midterms and bad professors, just like we all do. But he is also a practicing Muslim. This is a foreign religion to most people in Oklahoma and there are many misconceptions and judgments made because of what we have seen in the media and defined as our stereotypes.

            Suhayb Anwar was born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma. He grew up eating the same food that most Americans eat but also the traditional foods of his parents home country, Pakistan.  "The food that we eat is different than the American food that we eat over here, like rice and tandoori chicken, it's really good.  It's different, like the spices are different as well, " said Anwar.

            Anwar is a senior microbiology and pre-med major at OU. He is also the treasurer of the Muslim Student Association or MSA. Anwar refers to the MSA as a way for students to get information about Islam. He talks about how many people have misconceptions about his religion or just do not understand. For this reason, the MSA sets up a  Dawah table in the Oklahoma Memorial Union every Wednesday. The Dawah table is designed for anyone to come and ask questions of the association.

            The MSA also helps to organize events on campus raising awareness about Muslims and their beliefs. One of their most recent campus events was called The Think Fast Challenge: Abstain to Sustain. This was a challenge for people to participate in a day of fasting and then come to a dinner help in celebration of the end of Ramadan. They asked that the money that people normally would have spent on food that day be donated to charity. Their charity of choice for 2010 was the Oklahoma Food Bank.

            There are also many people who will judge Muslims or people of Arab descent, just by their looks. Anwar comments that his sisters get looked at strangely when they wear their scarves. He also laughs as he tells about when his family travels. He says that they always seem to be targeted by random searches and are always pulled aside when they go through customs to be asked extra questions by the officials.

            Anwar seems to have no hard feeling about these instances, but does say, "don't accept what the media tells you, everything, like they could be lying, you don't know that."  If they have questions or do not understand Islam, then they should go out and find the answers. In today’s day and age it is so easy to find answers on the Internet. Or hopefully people will just begin visiting the table in the Dawah table in the OMU and ask questions.

            Anwar finished the interview by saying that he loves his country and his state. Suhayb Anwar is a Muslim American, he is an Oklahoman; he does not just live here. 

Text by: Page Grossman

Photo by: Ame Aziere

Oklahoma Muslim Project Updated

Orhan Osman wants the same things all parents do for their children; a safe environment and a good education. Part of this education involves ensuring his children have a grasp of Turkish, his own native language.

"I can give you an example from my brother's life... They made a big mistake in Germany. They live in Germany, but his kids cannot speak Turkish... So they know nothing about Turkey and Turkish culture."

Orhan Osman was born in Turkey and lived there for the first 20 years of his life. He came to America to further his education, first in Texas, but eventually settling in Oklahoma in 2001. He came to seek expanded career opportunities. Osman serves as director of the Raindrop Turkish House in Oklahoma City and executive director of the Institute of Interfaith Dialog.

To Osman, the greatest challenge facing the global community are the prejudices held in almost every community. "If you go to Turkey and ask about the American family life... you are not going to hear good things... If you ask Oklahomans 'What do you know about Muslims?' they will not say good things if they never have met with the Muslims. "

Osman’s plans hadn’t been to live in Oklahoma, or even America, from the start. "If you asked me what I was going to be at the age of 35... I never thought that I was going to be in Oklahoma or the United States...I never planned to stay that long, but I fell in love with the hospitality and generosity of the people of Oklahoma." He feels this is becoming a much more common experience as the world transitions into a "global village." In his view, we can no longer afford to ignore each other on the basis of culture, ethnicity race or religion.

The Raindrop Turkish Cultural Center has a drive to teach the Turkish language to first-generation American children of immigrants from Turkey in hopes that they will become "Turkish Americans in Oklahoma" with a firm grasp of both their parents culture and that of the surrounding community. 

The Raindrop Turkish house is meant to serve as a bridge between the greater Oklahoma community and the Turkish community within it. Annual trips to Turkey, symposia and public dinners attempt to open a dialogue within the Oklahoma City community and combat the isolation some ethnic communities are prone to experience. Osman believes the two communities are ready to greet each other with open arms if someone will just make the first move. "As soon as I step forward, they run to me... We have to get rid of our prejudices. This is what I have noticed throughout my living here for 10 years in Oklahoma."

Orhan Osman remains adamant that the two communities are not as disparate as they might seem at first glance. "I love Oklahoma, and Oklahomans-- and I believe they love Turkey and Turkish people, too. This is the way we can [bring] this world peace and harmony, I believe"

Muslims In Oklahoma

Orhan Osman wants the same things any parent does for their children; a safe environment and a good education. Part of this education involves assuring his children have a grasp of Turkish, his own native language. "I can give you an example from my brother's life... They made a big mistake in Germany. They live in Germany, but his kids cannot speak Turkish... So they know nothing about Turkey and Turkish culture."

Orhan Osman was born in Turkey, and lived there for the first 20 years of his life. He came to America to further his education, first in Texas, eventually settling in Oklahoma in 2001 in hopes of expanded career opportunities.  Mr. Osman serves as the Director of the Raindrop Turkish House and the Executive Director of the Institute of Interfaith Dialog. To Osman, the greatest challenge facing the global community are the prejudices held in almost every community. "If you go to Turkey and ask about the American family life... you are not going to hear good things... If you ask Oklahomans 'What do you know about Muslims?' they will not say good things if they never have met with the Muslims. "

Mr. Osman’s plans hadn’t been to live in Oklahoma, or even America, from the start. "If you asked me what I was going to be at the age of 35... I never thought that I was going to be in Oklahoma or the United States...I never planned to stay that long, but I fell in love with the hospitality and generosity of the people of Oklahoma." He feels that this is becoming a much more common experience as our world transitions into a 'global village.' In his view, we can no longer afford to ignore each other on the basis of culture, ethnicity race or religion.

The Raindrop Turkish Cultural Center in Oklahoma City Oklahoma has a driving initiative to teach the Turkish language to first-generation American children of immigrants from Turkey in hopes that they become 'Turkish Americans in Oklahoma' with a firm grasp of both their parent's culture, and that of the surrounding Oklahoman community. 

The Raindrop Turkish house is meant to serve as a bridge between the greater Oklahoma community and the Turkish community within it. Annual trips to Turkey, symposia and public dinners attempt to open a dialogue within the Oklahoma City community and combat the isolation some ethnic communities are prone to suffer from.  Mr. Osman believes that the two communities are ready to greet each other with open arms as soon as one party steps forward. "As soon as I step forward they run to me... We have to get rid of out prejudices. This is what I have noticed throughout my living here for ten years in Oklahoma."

Orhan Osman remains adamant that the two communities are not as disparate as they might seem at first glance. "I love Oklahoma, and Oklahomans-- and I believe they love Turkey and Turkish people, too. This is the way we can [bring] this world peace and harmony, I believe"

Lisa Schaefer - Dancer

Fair Food

Did you know you that you can be frightened for a good cause? At least at Halloween you can. Most people love Halloween for the candy, the costumes, the make up and a good scare.

The best place for a good scare is a haunted house. There are haunted houses everywhere. They are big, small, professional or put on by neighborhoods or schools. They can range in intensity from ones that have clowns and things that go bump, to those that require you to sign a waiver before you enter. But only in Fort Worth, Texas, can you find the largest charity haunted house in the nation. All of the carpenters, concessions workers, actors, ticket takers, security guards, make up artists and costumers are volunteers. And all of the profit goes to local charities.

Hangman’s House of Horrors, located in Fort Worth on I-30 and Forest Park Boulevard, was started 22 years ago and has entertained over half a million visitors since its opening. Hangman’s has also contributed more than $1.5 million to local charities. The 2010 beneficiaries include the American Cancer Society, a Wish with Wings (for children with serious illnesses), Cenikor Foundation (assistance for people struggling with substance abuse), Rocky Top Therapy Center (equestrian therapy) and SafeHaven of Tarrant County (domestic violence).

If you’re interested in volunteering, Hangman’s needs more than 30,000 volunteer hours to build the house and run it through Halloween. There is a form to fill out on their website and an orientation for any new volunteers.

Emily Carter, sophomore Middle Eastern Studies major, volunteered at Hangman’s last year and loved the experience. She said, “The best part of Hangman’s was the makeup! It was so cool looking, dead and gory. I had this massive gash on my neck, and dead looking skin. It was awesome.” Carter talked about how it was “a little nerve racking going through the ‘house’ before the whole things started,” but that she loved “everyone’s faces when I did scare them.”

Senior history and economics major Jaclyn Fedors, when told about volunteering at Hangman’s says, “I am personally not a fan of haunted houses, however, I believe if I was, it would be an extremely entertaining way to get volunteer hours.

According to their website, “Hangman’s has been recently featured on the Travel Channel’s ‘America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions,’ a television special showcasing the nation’s top haunts. Additionally, Family Circle magazine named Hangman’s as one of the nation’s ‘Halloween Hot Spots!’ Most recently, the house was voted ‘Best Place to get Spooked’ by the readers of Fort Worth Magazine and named as a ‘Best of Fort Worth’ tourist attraction by the U.S. Local Business Association.”

It takes more than half an hour to go through the main house on the Hangman’s property, and this year they also have three side attractions. There is the Swinery, Obscurities and 3-D Wonderland. There are also live bands, concessions, midways rides and games, karaoke and much more. There is more information about ticket pricing and volunteering on their website. www.hangmans.com

Volunteers at Hangman's House of Horrors. Photos by Page Grossman

Emily Carter after make up

Emily Carter before make up

After turning over the calendar page to September, I started thinking about my favorite season, which is autumn. I love all things associated with autumn. I adore everything from the changing leaves, picking Granny Smith apples at Appleberry Farms in Iowa, wearing colorful scarves, snuggly sweaters and the start of football season.

I love the warm hues of leaves, orange, gold and bronze, as they begin to fall from the trees; and the sounds and smells of the first OU home football game. There is nothing like the sound of “Boomer Sooner” rolling across the field.

As the air started to cool this week, my thoughts turned to the term, “Indian Summer.” I have always thought that the term referred to the phenomenon in autumn where a period of warm weather follows a period of cooler weather. I turned to an expert for the facts. Meteorology major, Stephen Jones, a sophomore from South Carolina, was happy to give me the details.

He said, “Indian summer is a Meteorology term that refers to a warmer than average fall. For example, in November if the temperatures are in the mid to upper 70's for an extended period of time, that is considered an Indian Summer.” Wikipedia was a bit more specific, describing it as “when the weather is sunny and clear, and above 21 °C (70 °F), and all of the leaves of the trees have turned but before the first snow has fallen; a period normally associated with mid-October to late-November in the northern states of the U.S. Traditionally, Indian summer can only be a true Indian summer after the first frost, generally a killing frost, of the season.^”

But how did the term get connected with Indians? Wikipedia lists three theories as to why it received this name. One possibility is that it came after the Indian raids on the colonists, which usually ended in autumn. Another thought is that it was named for the period when the Indians harvested their crops. The theory that I like best is that the term paralleled the term Indian giver referring to someone who takes back a present he has given. The phrase Indian summer may be a way of saying “false summer.”

Lightning from storm Thursday, 9/2/10. Photo taken by Stephen Jones

If you want to see more of Stephen’s weather photos or get more information check out his Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1394350638&ref=ts#!/pages/Stephen-Jones-Weather-Photography/240424608517?ref=ts