The Muslim Student Association at UCF invited guest speaker Dr. Altaf Husain to discuss men, women and modesty on Friday in Room 101 of the College of Sciences.
MSA president, Abdullah Sabawi, 23, believes that Dr. Husain's lectures are effective because he teaches Islamic values.
"He takes various aspects of Islam and teaches it from a counseling angle and not just from Islamic scripture," said Sabawi.
Among the crowd were MSA members from the East Valencia campus, Michael Braga, 21, a neuroscience major and Mohamed Abdulle, 20, a sociology major. Both students heard about Dr. Husain from his previous speech the year before at UCF and felt that it was important to come out and show their support.
The room quieted as a prayer began and then Dr. Husain took to the stage.
According to Dr. Husain, modesty is often characterized as being fundamentalist and carries a negative connotation. However, he believes that we have to be conscious about how we dress, talk and behave in private and public because of the implications it could have on ourselves and others.
"The tongue is the window to the heart of a person," said Dr. Husain.
In a time of Twitter, Facebook and texting Dr. Husain warned that even what you write is treated equally to what you say.
Considered to be a modern-day-Muslim, Dr. Husain joked about marriage to the single young men in the group and won female favor as he spoke about a woman's right to work and make her own money.
However, Dr. Husain stressed the importance against compartmentalizing how you act. Students shouldn't get into the habit of acting one way at work, school and home, but overall be righteous in conduct.
University of Florida graduate student Salman Bukhari, 25, attended the lecture after several recommendations from friends.
"Modesty is important in life overall. Americans value sexual freedom, but it is about recognition of both sides," said Bukhari. "It helps people of all faiths see where they stand."
Because an excessive lifestyle can often lead to a sinful path, Dr. Husain believes that students should strive to eat moderately, because too much food can leave you in ‘stupor', speak little and sleep little, so that you can get more done throughout the day and be patient when others harm you.
Dr. Husain opened the floor to discussion and ended his speech by reminding the audience that modesty and decency are two sides to one coin.
On Tuesday in HEC 125, MSA will present guest speaker Najia Kurdi at 6 p.m. to discuss misconceptions about the status of women in Islam and their portrayal in the media. Dr. Ali Shehata's lecture "Manliness in Islam," will be in HEC 118 at 7:30 p.m.
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