Professors Take Part in Panel Discussion on Islam
October 14, 2010
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Laurie Johnston, Assistant Professor of Sociology Christine McKenna and Daren Graves, assistant professor of education at Simmons College took part in a panel discussion on Islam on October 14th in the Janet M. Daley Library Lecture Hall. The panelists discussed the controversies, myths, facts and personal experiences that gave a context to the current national and global conversations.
Islam is the second largest religion in the world; in the United States alone, there are between 
five-to-seven million people who practice the Islamic religion. The panelists shared their insights on the religion from different perspectives. McKenna discussed the topic of social media and Islam, while Johnston, who is interested in Islamic ethics and Christian theologies, spoke the similarities between the two religions.
According to Graves, since September 2001, the beliefs of the Islamic religion have changed, leading to more people becoming interested in the religion.
"The best outcome of 9/11 was people's curiosity of the Islamic religion," he said. "Many more people have learned about the religion."
