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‘Meet a Muslim’ events hope to dispel misconceptions

In this July 10, 2017 photo, Moina Shaiq speaks to a man after a Meet a Muslim event at Bronco Billy's Pizza Palace in Fremont, Calif. Shaiq discussed the importance of the hijab, the head scarf, and the niqab, the face covering, as well as the differences between Sunnis and Shias. She also spoke about the rights of women in Islam, and what it's like to be an American-Muslim today in her one-hour talks. (AP Photo/Kristin J. Bender)
In this July 10, 2017 photo, Moina Shaiq speaks to a man after a Meet a Muslim event at Bronco Billy's Pizza Palace in Fremont, Calif. Shaiq discussed the importance of the hijab, the head scarf, and the niqab, the face covering, as well as the differences between Sunnis and Shias. She also spoke about the rights of women in Islam, and what it's like to be an American-Muslim today in her one-hour talks. (AP Photo/Kristin J. Bender) In this July 10, 2017 photo, Moina Shaiq speaks to a man after a Meet a Muslim event at Bronco Billy's Pizza Palace in Fremont, Calif. Shaiq discussed the importance of the hijab, the head scarf, and the niqab, the face covering, as well as the differences between Sunnis and Shias. She also spoke about the rights of women in Islam, and what it's like to be an American-Muslim today in her one-hour talks. (AP Photo/Kristin J. Bender)

By Associated Press 1 min read

FREMONT, Calif. (AP) – When Moina Shaiq realized even her own friends were scared to ask her about her religion for fear of offending her or sounding uneducated, she put an advertisement in a California newspaper: “Questions and answers about being Muslim.”

The ad offered ideas for questions: Are women oppressed in Islam? What is the Islamic view of terrorism? How does Islam view other religions?

She set up shop at a coffee house in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Fremont, hoping for good attendance. To her surprise, about 100 people turned out that January day last year, and “Meet a Muslim” was born.

With an uptick in anti-Muslim crimes in the U.S., Shaiq said she started the “Meet a Muslim” talks to educate people about her faith and culture while addressing people’s misconceptions and stereotypes.

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Associated Press writer Noreen Nasir in Washington contributed to this report.