Imam Abdul Hadi Palazzi, secretary-general of the Italian Muslim Association, expressed to students that it is possible to be a Muslim scholar and leader and still support America, Israel and democracy Wednesday at the Rutgers Hillel House on the College Avenue campus.
Students filled the room, waiting for the prominent Muslim leader to discuss issues students felt they rarely heard about from someone with his background.
"The purpose of the event was to smash the perception [within] the Jewish pro-Israel community of Islam as a monolithic thing that has one view on everything - and show a different voice we don't often hear," Livingston College junior Josh Einstein said.
Rutgers College senior Ari Corman said he was really pleased with the event. "There was talk about topics on everyone's mind, and it was moving and insightful to hear," he said.
Rutgers College junior Talya Benoff said it was very interesting to hear a perspective on the Middle East from a pro-Israel viewpoint of a person who was not from the Jewish community.
The theme of Pelazzi's speech was that the war on terror is a universal fight not being fought by the United States or Israel alone. He believes dictatorships in the Middle East are a threat to human rights and as such they need to be removed so democracy can thrive.
Palazzi's speech was followed by a question and answer session in which people were encouraged to ask him what he thought on a wide range of issues.
"The question and answer session was important because it allowed people who had different perspectives to speak," Benoff said. "It was interesting to hear their questions and his responses."
The event was well attended by students of a wide range of beliefs.
The opposing views presented made some audience members to think differently about the Middle East.
"All we hear about Islam is either about extremists or extremist views. We wanted to have a different view, to show that Islam, the west and democracy aren't juxtaposed," Einstein said. "It showed there is a diversity within Islam I didn't know about and I think that was the most important thing."
Students who attended the conference agreed it provided an alternative source of information for the University and the student body.
"This was good for the campus community in general because it is militant Islam and terrorist Islam we are fighting. Not every branch of Islam is like that," Einstein said. "There is a spectrum there we haven't yet discussed as a University or a country."
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