Source: thehoya.com

This October, Washington, D.C., is celebrating its eighth Islamic Heritage Month.

“It helps Americans as a whole to know that Muslims have been a part of American society since the conception of America,” America’s Islamic Heritage Museum President and Curator Amir Muhammad said. “Throughout America, people acknowledge and celebrate African American and Latino heritage months, and we felt there was a need to celebrate America’s Islamic heritage.”

Islamic Heritage Month, which is held in October because it coincides with the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, began in 2005 with the opening of the Smithsonian Institution’s America’s Islamic Heritage exhibit, in which the museum displayed letters, copies of the Quran and other Muslim artifacts found in the country.

Eight years later, Amir Muhammad said he hoped the month would continue to raise awareness of the historical contributions of Muslims in America.

“It was a history that was forgotten about,” Muhammad said. “People thought it was something foreign and strange, but we have been involved in American history. We fought in every American war since the Revolutionary War.”

In line with that goal, America’s Islamic Heritage Museum, which is not associated with the Smithsonian, is reaching out to local schools to entice students to learn about Islamic culture and history, as well as to teach tolerance. The museum has also planned a number of events, such as …continue reading at thehoya.com