By Brandi Dunn

Storyteller to explore 'Blessings of Ramadan'

By: Pammy Ramji

Posted: 11/1/04

Pamela Taylor, a Muslim storyteller, will perform "The Blessings of Ramadan: A Gift in Story" on campus Tuesday at the Texas A&M Sterling C. Evans Library. Taylor will explain how Allah revealed the first verses of the Quran, the holy book of Islam, to Prophet Muhammad.

Taylor is a freelance writer, journalist, lecturer and radio show host who specializes in women's issues in the Islamic community.

The Multicultural Storytelling Project, a program of the A&M Libraries that seeks to promote the history, influences and values of the many cultures that have played a role in shaping American society, is sponsoring this event.

Jane Smith, an assistant professor and education reference librarian with Humanities Social Sciences Reference Services, said the storytelling performance highlights stories concerning the Islamic tradition of Ramadan.

This three-year old program supports A&M President Robert M. Gates' emphasis on diversity that he included in his Vision 2020 platform, Smith said.

Assistant lecturer for Sociology on Islamic Studies Mary Hovsepian said people need to understand the social structure, history and meaning of Islam as an ideology.

"Students need to be exposed to a variety of issues with an academic context because we have a very little exposure to all kinds of issues going on in the world," Hovsepian said. "The more of a critical thinker a student is, the less close-minded he or she is."

The Multicultural Storytelling Project saw the convergence of Islamic Awareness Month, Ramadan and International Education Week as an opportunity to collaborate with programs and events across campus, which is one of the objectives of our project Smith said.

The University has a successful distance education program in engineering in the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar, as well as an active Muslims Students' Association (MSA), an officially recognized A&M student organization, Smith said.

Zahir Latheef, president for MSA and a junior accounting major said the event is not the traditional lecture.

"Islam has been in the media, maybe not for the right reasons, so this is a great opportunity for students and families to come learn about a month which Muslims hold in great respect," Latheef said.

One performance will be at 1 p.m. in Evans Library Whitley Suite 106, and another performance is scheduled at 7 p.m. in Evans Library 204E. A short question/answer session will follow the performance.

"It is important for each segment of our university community, faculty, students and staff, to have the opportunity to experience the wide range of cultures that make up our Aggie family," Smith said.