The Department of Student Life began their first in a series of Mosaic Moments last Wednesday that the Mosaic Program will be hosting throughout the year. Mosaic is an Orientation program designed for the purpose of promoting diversity. These programs will be organized to educate the community about difference on campus throughout the year.

"This is a historic moment, it will go down in history as the beginning to wonderful dialogue at Brandeis," said Rev. Nathaniel Mays, Assistant Dean of Student Life and Coordinator of Diversity Service.

The evening began with a lecture by Prof. Qamar-ul Huda, (NEJS) and advisor to the Brandeis Muslim Students Association. In his lecture, he discussed the stereotypes has seen as a Muslim-American.

Among some of the challenges Huda has faced, he has experienced the extremes of being homogenized with the crowd as well as picked out of it.

As a New Yorker living in a multicultural environment, he felt that he was homogenized and didn't see himself vis-Oe-vis other cultures. He also added that close friends homogenized his identity.

"When you come to the states your are homogenized," Huda said.

He has also experienced the extreme of being selected out of a crowd because of his background. While visiting UCLA, people would pick him out and ask him whether he would want to go to Muslim Chai or to Friday prayer.



"In both scenarios you have people constructing your identity," Huda said.

He would here people tell him that Muslim women should always wear scarves and Muslim men should always have beards and be very devout with their religion. Additionally, he said some of his senior colleagues at Boston College would go as far as assuming he had direct connections to Al-Qaida. He added that given the times, there is always a sense of guilt by association and people are always watching you.

"It is a crazy time. It is not the best of times," Huda said.

He also said that depending on the different nations, the practice of Islam can be very different.

The evening continued with a question and answer period in which Huda, along with Brandeis Chaplains Fr. David Michael, Rabbi Allan Lehmann, and Rev. Borris Collins, talked about interfaith issues.

In their comments they focused on dialogue and the need for this in order to break down misconceptions.

"I have devoted a large part of my professional life to correcting the distortions and misconceptions through conversation. I believe very much in dialog and mutual learning," said Fr. Michael.

They also emphasized that most religious dialog is between experts but this is not helpful if it doesn't involve all members of the community.

"Dialog between experts is useless if the community does not see and internalize it," said Prof. Huda.

The chaplains also discussed plans on continuing dialogue on religious difference.

The chaplains also hope to continue a "trialog" series which began last year as well.