An exhibition in the Olds Municipal Library explaining the Islamic faith was basically well received, although a few people did criticize it.
That's the word from two ladies who helped maintain the display, which was located near a library meeting room Oct. 14-28.
Nabila Malik, 32, and Shaistah Ahmad, 19, are members of the women's auxiliary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim faith in Calgary.
Malik concedes only a handful of people took in the exhibition, at least when she was there. However, when people did stop by, it was a chance to discuss the religion one-on-one and when reps of the religion weren't on hand, library staff fielded some questions.
Malik says they've had to discuss Islamic extremists and explain that those people are just that ñ extremists who don't reflect the beliefs of most Muslim people.
"It does come up and what we have always said, we are from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and our motto is ëlove for all, hate for none.' That's what our slogan is and that's what we believe in," she says.
"So that's what we try and tell everyone: that Islam doesn't tell us to do what people are saying it tells us to do. It's a very open religion. It is a religion that covers every lifestyle, basically. It's not supposed to make your life harder or tells you to hate people. It doesn't do that."
Although the display sat in the library for two weeks, reps from the Calgary-based Ahmadiyya strain of the faith were only there for a few hours during the weekends.
Malik says when they were there, she and her colleagues never heard anyone describing all Muslims as extremists.
"I've never had any I would say, people saying that in Olds. But I've had questions like that outside of Olds," Malik says. "But we've heard feedback from the librarians that some people do say, ëwhy are you letting, you know, these people put on exhibitions?'"
Malik says she and her colleagues don't mind hearing those views because that's the first step toward dialogue on the religion.
"We were totally OK with that because at least it got that conversation started. They actually looked at the exhibition," she says. "I think even looking is a start of understanding and that's what we want to do.
"(It's) basically build a bridge and get people together and understand that it is not what media says we are.
"We don't want you going to media to ask who we are. I want you to come to me and ask me any question you want. I'm totally OK with that, and open. I'll answer. Come to the source. Don't go to other people to ask," she says.
"We were totally OK with that because at least it got that conversation started. They actually looked at the exhibition," she says. "I think even looking is a start of understanding and that's what we want to do."NABILA MALIK
