As the Islam holy month of Ramadan approaches, the NIU community has an opportunity to learn more and ask questions about Islam.

Sponsored by the Muslim Student Association, Islam 101, which began Oct. 11, is a free, non-credit course intended to broaden the scope of Islam education at NIU. The course, offered Thursdays at DuSable Hall, Room 212 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., covers the five pillars of Islam and will finish Nov. 15 with a special discussion called “The Essence of Islam.”

“The class is for anyone who wants to learn,” said Saad Quadri, vice president of the Muslim Student Association. “Many people have questions about Islam, and there are many misconceptions about Islam. I just want to get across the essence of Islam.”

Quadri said classes like these began at Northwestern University in 1999. Shortly thereafter, universities such as Loyola and UIC followed suit.

The main goal was “to give college students the opportunity to complement their studies with Islamic knowledge; something that many college students have never had the opportunity to do before,” Quadri said.

What separates the class at NIU from others is that this course focuses on the basis of Islam and does not require the attendee to have prior knowledge of the subject.

“Since the attacks on September 11, the MSA decided that it would be more beneficial for us to hold an introductory class on Islam in order to educate both Muslims and non-Muslims alike,” said Quadri.

Students like Alice Webb, a sophomore dietetics major, found this class answered many of her questions regarding Islam and also found some similarities between it and Christianity.

The MSA plans to offer more classes about Islam next semester.

Islam Awareness Week is from Nov. 12 through 16, immediately preceding the start of Ramadan.

“Ramadan is the most holy time of the year for Muslims,” said Quadri.

During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food, water and sexual desires from sunrise to sunset. One of the purposes of the month-long fast is to simulate what it must feel like to be a poor person with no food or water.

“It gives people a chance to see for themselves what Islam is about rather than the media’s interpretation of it,” said Micka-El Isa, a freshman computer science major.