Speaking to a room of about 50 people, Hassan said to the group, "If you can reach two people who you know who you are friends with who you think have a closed mind, then my coming here today and talking to all of you is more important than you can imagine.”
Hassan, a physician and chairwoman of the American Muslim Women’s Association, and Khusro Elley, a trustee of the Upper Westchester Muslim Society, spoke about Islamophobia as part of a community conversation hosted by the Westchester Coalition Against Islamophobia on Sunday afternoon.
The Westchester Coalition Against Islamophobia is a grassroots association whose members oppose bigotry and hold events to spark conversations and dispel myths about the Muslim faith.
At Sunday’s event, both people spoke for 20 minutes about their personal experiences, background in the faith and some of the misconceptions they have encountered about Islam, and then fielded questions from the audience.
"Today’s event is opening up a dialogue for misconceptions about Islam because you see a rising trend in Islamophobia and we feel that people should have an opportunity to ask questions, to meet with Muslims and non-Muslims,” Elley said.
Source: lohud.com