So far two sessions have been held; the first last Wednesday and the other on Monday. Faculty and students came together at the forum to hear reactions to the recent events.

"I like the fact that they didn’t focus on the terrorist acts … everybody realized that there is a lot more associated with the event that took place [and] that people need to talk about it in terms of social context," said Tony Moore.

The purpose of the Monday forum was to allow another venue for those interested to speak out against the violence, hurt, and pain that has resulted from the events of September 11. There was a combined attendance of approximately 125 students, faculty, and staff at both forums, which both touched on a number of sensitive topics.

Monday’s forum was a chance for more in-depth, more profound, thought and discussion to be aired and presented.

Before this forum, Khaoula Benghanem said, "I want to hear other people’s opinions. I want to hear what other people (outside of the media) think. There are people that need to learn and others who want to share their opinions [for the enlightenment of others]."

Some issues that came up were the lack of concern within the community. The feeling is that students do not feel connected to the occurrences. They wonder what effect will attending a forum have? Other issues that came up included how student visas will be affected, when the war will begin and whether people will drafted, how Americans cand deal with the freeze put on passports, and what the role of the intellectuals in minority groups is?

When asked about his feelings toward the forum, Rayvon Foushe, a science and technology studies professor said, "[It encouraged] an open-dialogue about issues of racial profiling, ethnicity, and Islam. … It was very effective for those who came." The billion-dollar question of the night was how to get more people to come out and support these events?

During the forum, the subject of jihad surfaced. Mecit Cetin, president of the Muslim Students Association, shared the true meanings of jihad, and there are many. To most, jihad has a negative connotation meaning war: "there is no concept of ‘Holy War’ in the Quran. Jihad means struggle," said Cetin. He went on to say that there are several types of struggle, the first and most difficult being the struggle within; fighting inner demons to suppress all desires. The second type of struggle involves opposing tyrannical authority and defending the rights of others even at the risk of your own detriment.

There is a combative aspect of jihad, said Cetin. It allows you to defend yourself, but one can also turn the other cheek. Additional rules of war involve several things; the first is that killing civilians (women, children, religious leaders) is considered a sin. Destroying the environment is also a negative, concluded Cetin.

Many viewpoints were expressed at the forum, but one common voice agreed that we, as a community first and then as individuals, need more education—more education about Islamic beliefs; education about the history of our nation, and education on how war will impact our day-to-day lives.

As a way to further enlighten the community, the Muslim Students Association, in conjunction with the department of Science Technology and Society and the forum organizers, are sponsoring a film, Empire of Faith, on Thursday at 8 pm in Sage 3510.

The film is a PBS documentary taking an objective look at the Muslim faith. Another is an informational session on Islam, sponsored by the Muslim Students Association, today in CII 3051 from 5 to 7 pm.

The RPI community, like the nation, is outraged. However, it was stressed at the forum that it is important to remember all people have been affected. "It’s easy for certain people to say certain things because they haven’t experienced racial profiling … [when you’re not informed] you speak naively," said alumnus Tahira Reid.

After Monday’s forum, attendees seemed very concerned with reaching more students and the Capital District community. "[The forum was] put together as an important response to what we felt about the lack of discussion in the formal sense. … People seemed to be pleased by the nature of discussion; … [it] showed that our perceptions were correct," said Brian Lonsway, forum coordinator.

At the forum it was said that apathy is a common sentiment that has set into the Rensselaer community because they do not see how the event affects them; they cannot relate it to their day-to-day existence.