On Thursday just after sunset, one could hear voices loudly reciting verses in a foreign language. It was coming from the Redwood Room in the University Union.

It was the fourth of five daily prayers for a Muslim said Hamayoun Jamali, one of the worshipers. The praying was a precursor to a lecture sponsored by Sacramento State’s Muslim Student Association. “The Journey of the African-American Muslim,” which was in celebration of Black History Month, was the speech given by Sheikh Imam Luqman Ahmad.

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, Sawyer 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 blacks 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, a senior biology major and president of the Muslim Student Association, 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 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.

To visit the group’s website click here.

Leonard Low can be reached at [email protected].