To kick off Islam Awareness Month, a top human rights lawyer and news commentator came to UF Monday night to speak about the Muslim community following 9/11.
About 125 people stopped by the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom to hear Arsalan Iftikhar, who was brought by the UF student group Islam On Campus.
Besides being internationally known in his field of law, Iftikhar is a weekly contributor to National Public Radio and frequently appears on major news networks.
His speech focused mainly on the changes in America's Islamic community following 9/11, an event he described as a "watershed turning point in our collective narrative history."
Iftikhar gave a rundown of events since 9/11 that have negatively impacted the Muslim community in America and overseas.
"9/11 was not only a day we saw our country attacked, it was also a day in which we saw our religion hijacked," he said.
He said actions taken by the U.S. Government following the event have perpetuated stereotypes and threatened civil rights nationwide.
"We started to see institutionalized racism," Iftikhar said.
He pointed to legislation such as the Patriot Act, which trumped over 50 federal laws that were already in place, he said.
Iftikhar also spoke of the "tragic irony" of the first hate-crime murder after 9/11 of Balbir Singh Sodhi, an Indian Sikh immigrant, who was not a Muslim, and wore red, white and blue turbans to show his love for America.
"Nothing we do in the world can be viewed in a vacuum, every action has a residual impact," he said.
He also spoke of the false stereotypes cast upon President Barack Obama's faith because of his middle name, Hussein. Iftikhar said this demonstrated America's sensitivity to stereotypes.
After speaking for about 45 minutes, Iftikhar took questions from the audience, nearly half of whom were members of Islam on Campus, said Jonathan Bull, vice president of external affairs for the organization.
"We try to make these events appeal to the greater community, not just members of IOC," Bull said.
Following the event, many students were glad Iftikhar spoke directly about the discrimination in America.
UF sophomore Ali Khan said Iftikhar's message and casual style resonated with the audience.
"It's nice to hear someone whose mission it is to give the honest truth. There's a lot of people out there who have ulterior motives," Khan said.
The organization paid Iftikhar about $1,500 to come to UF and spent about $300 more on other expenses. Monday night marked the second of six events that will be held for Islam Awareness Month.
