This evening, just after sunset, one could hear a male voice loudly reciting verses in a foreign language. It was coming from the Redwood Room in the University Union. Upon further discovery, three other males had joined him in accompaniment. A few minutes later, four women had formed a second row behind the males and began to mimic them. Eventually, both groups kneeled on two separate large rugs.

It was the fourth of five daily prayers for a Muslim, said Hamayoun Jamali, one of the worshippers and a junior civil engineering major. The first prayer is a pre-dawn event, occurring one hour before sunrise and the very last one is given after dark. The prayers last from three to five minutes each and the worshipers face toward the direction of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, said Jamali.

The praying was a precursor to the special event, a lecture, sponsored by Sacramento State’s Muslim Student Association. It was in celebration of Black history. “The Journey of the African-American Muslim” was the speech given by Sheikh Imam Luqman Ahmad. The title, Sheikh Imam, means a religious scholar who leads prayers in a mosque, the Muslim place of worship.

Ahmad informed the audience about the historical context of the black Muslims beginning with the 1600s and its impact on the United States, especially after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania.

“It was very educational,” said Becky Sawyer, a junior government major and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies minor. Despite being a Mormon, she still is a Muslim Student Association member because she wants to learn about other religions and cultures.

Sawyer learned that the Nation of Islam is not as radical as the 1960s and 1970s with Malcolm X. Sawyer said African-Americans are the predominant race of the 7 to 8 million Muslims living in the U.S. and many of their ancestors were slaves.

Mohamed Omar, the organization’s president and a senior biology major, said “There is a big history (to the African-American Muslim) and (he has) a lot to learn and look into.”

The occasion concluded with a question-and-answer period and complimentary refreshments provided by the group.

The guest speaker, Ahmad was born and raised a Muslim in Philadelphia. He is married and is the father of five children.

The mission of the Muslim Student Association is to be supportive of other Sac State students who are Muslims and to educate the Sacramento and surrounding communities about its religion, Islam. A link from the group’s website (www.csusmsa.com), to www.islamicity.com, states throughout the world, there are one billion people of various races, nationalities and cultures who are Muslims.