The Washington University Muslim Student Association (MSA) programmed Islam Awareness Week (IAW), a series of events intended to bring attention to different perspectives of Muslim experiences, this week.

The week kicked off with a mental health discussion Monday and will conclude with an informational religious discussion Friday.

On Tuesday, MSA hosted a panel on Islam and identities that highlighted the intersections between Islam and spirituality, race, gender and new Muslims. According to organizer and junior Mouhamad Diallo, the event was valuable because of the way it highlighted less common identities.

“We felt that as a Muslim community, we often neglected identities not necessarily common or immediately apparent here at Wash. U., and we decided to redress this grievance in tandem with our Islamic Awareness Week,” Diallo wrote in a statement to Student Life. “We were hoping to shine a spotlight on those whose voices were not heard as much as they should.”

Junior Nicholas Kinberg wrote that as someone who studies Islam academically, he found the event valuable, saying that he would recommend that other students attend similar events.

“Establishing relationships with members of all groups is important to creating a unified community,” Kinberg wrote.

MSA partnered with Welcome Neighbors, a St. Louis organization that helps refugees assimilate to life in the United States. They organized a dinner catered entirely by a refugee woman who spoke about her experiences as a refugee Wednesday.

MSA co-president junior Fatima Anwar said the week is important, because no matter how much one practices advocacy, everyone can always learn more about faith, including other Muslims.

“Religion is one of those things that some people will feel uncomfortable talking about it, so it’s not really talked about as much,” Anwar said. “I’ve noticed in the Wash. U. population, there’s a lot of people who just never even approach the topic, and for their own reasons, maybe they don’t believe it, but they also close themselves off to learning about other people’s beliefs as well.”

Anwar also said that IAW is especially relevant in light of the Christchurch mosque shootings.

“I think after the New Zealand attacks, we got a decent amount of support from the student body, but I think that we need to keep showing up for these events, to keep trying to improve ourselves and our awareness of other people,” Anwar said. “Islam Awareness Week is a natural extension of showing your support to the community after the New Zealand attacks.”