The title of this year's Brown Muslim Students Association dinner, "Feeding the Mind, Feeding the Soul," reflects the event's greater mission - to nourish the audience's spiritual sense in both a fun and informative way.
The event will feature a variety of acts, including a performance by the Middle East Music Ensemble.
Though the annual dinner acts as a way of providing "basic knowledge of Islam and the Islamic world," this year's event will give special focus to the issue of spirituality, which will be especially addressed in the performances of Tissa Hami '95 and Majid Mohiuddin '98, said BMSA president Refai Arefin '07.
For the event, Hami, an Iranian-American who is one of the few female Muslim comedians in America, will perform a standup routine. Much of Hami's comedy tries to tackle misconceptions of Islam by poking fun at Islamic fundamentalists, white liberals and other iconoclastic figures. Hami aims to break down stereotypes about Islamic women and to foster understanding between Iranians and Americans, according to her Web site.
Mohiuddin, a poet who recently published a book of poetry in English called "An Audience of One," will also recite his work. The book is a collection of ghazals - a kind of lyric written in recurring rhymes - and is formatted in the style of Islamic prayer. This ordering draws attention to the relationship between man and God.
Although heavy-handed topics will surely arise, the dinner is still intended to be an entertaining social occasion that happens to be educational, Arefin said.
For example, organizers have planned a game show called "Who Wants to Be a Mu'min (Believer)?"
"Humor is one of the best ways for social commentary. I want people to come there and have a good time," he said. Ideally the dinner will help students feel connected to Muslims on campus, he added.
Through this event and the other lectures and activities it sponsors, BMSA, now in its 16th year, tries to foster a welcoming community for Muslims on campus. The group's regular activities include holding prayers every night at 10 p.m. and every Friday at 1 p.m. at the Muslim Students Center in the basement of Champlin Hall. These religious functions are not limited to Muslim students - all are invited to attend, Arefin said.
"On a personal level, (Brown is) a good place to be as a Muslim. People are accepting," Arefin said. But he added that many students and administrators hold skeptical views of religion and do not always view religion as something important.
Other BMSA goals include raising awareness about Islam and clearing misconceptions about the religion. The group tries to do so by reaching out to all kinds of student groups by co-sponsoring events and interfaith initiatives.
The dinner takes place tonight at Andrews Dining Hall at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $7 at the post office and $8 at the door. All proceeds will go toward sponsoring free BMSA dinners for students during the month of Ramadan.
