Utah State University’s Museum of Anthropology’s “Saturdays at the Museum” series continues with a guest lecturer who will speak about Islamic culture. Ghulam Hasnain, a folklorist and archivist at USU’s Special Collections and Archives in the Merrill-Cazier Library, is the guest speaker at the museum Saturday, June 6.
“Observed by 1 billion people, the Islamic culture is often misunderstood,” said museum worker Lowell Sagers. “We invite members of the community to come, listen and learn about this richly diverse culture. Today, Islam is practiced by a variety of ethnic groups, even here in the West. Our community has a unique chance to learn about this culture and its heritage.
Hasnain will speak from 1 to 2 p.m. at the museum and will discuss the daily practices that are fundamental to a practicing Muslim’s life, as well as the concepts and principles behind them.
“Muslims and non-Muslim speakers often concentrate on the jurisprudence and metaphysics of the faith or on generalities that are common to all religions, without adding to the non-Muslim’s knowledge of the important dynamics of Islam as a lifestyle,” said Hasnain.
In addition to Hasnain’s lecture, the museum will provided activities for young people throughout the day Saturday, and materials will be provided. All are invited to the museum anytime during the museum’s 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday hours. The museum staff invites families, friends and USU students to its activities.
The USU Museum of Anthropology is housed in the south turret of the historic Old Main building, Room 252. Free parking is available in the adjacent lot, south of the building. For more information, call museum staff at (435) 797-7545 or visit the museum Web site (www.usu.edu/anthro/museum/).