There may be a silver lining to tragedy for Sacramento State students, according to the Muslim Students? Association whose members have responded to the growing interest in Islam in the aftermath of Sept. 11 with cooperative programs designed to raise awareness of global issues.

As an international student from Saudi Arabia, MSA Vice President Alaa Malibari feels that this increased interest in Islam and the Middle East provides an opportunity for MSA to educate students about issues they might not otherwise learn from American media.

“We try to show the other side of the story,” he said. “After that, people can decide what is right and what is wrong.”

More than 100 new members have joined the organization e-mail list since Sept. 11, most of them non-Muslims, according to Malibari.

MSA President Mohamed Hamada said that more than 100, out of approximately 300 current members, have been active in organizing recent programs.

Nina Shoman, the MSA public relations coordinator, said that events including the “Displaced by War” event of two weeks ago and last semester?s “Islam: Myth and Reality,” which attracted an audience of more than 300, reached a primarily non-Muslim audience.

“Instead of planning events that are important only to Muslims, we organize events that are important to the campus and community,” she said.

Shoman noted that a majority of the speakers taking part in the “Displaced by War” program were non-Muslims.

The most successful presentation of the event, titled “An Alternative View of U.S. Foreign Policy” by Richard Becker, an American non-Muslim, dealt with problems in the Middle East and issues faced by the people of North Korea, Latin America and the former Soviet Union, she said.

In addition, MSA has worked with other organizations on campus in order to present a broader perspective on important issues, Shoman said.

A presentation scheduled for this Friday titled “Women and Islam” is presented in conjunction with the Sac State Women?s Resource Center.

Jessica Higgins of the Women?s Resource Center worked with MSA to plan the event, which is important, she said, because it furthers education on issues that have been neglected in the past.

“Collaboration is the only way we can make sense of an issue,” Higgins said.

Justin Stults, a junior history major said he would be glad to see more MSA sponsored events.

“It provides us with an important perspective on the issues we are facing today,” he said. “It is important for critical thinking.”