Nureen Zaki, a student enrolled in DISC’s course on Muslim Ethics in the Global Age, shared that her interest in Islamic Studies and DISC stems from her identity as a Muslim woman. Islam has been defaced in today’s post 9/11 climate by a minority of people that label themselves as Muslim and commit acts of violence in the name of Islam. Nureen notes that DISC and the Islamic Studies curriculum are essential in educating people on Islam’s values in order to better understand the viewpoints of Muslims and non-Muslims alike to craft solutions for today’s issues.
Nureen appreciates the small class size of her Muslim Ethics course as it allows her to create more intimate connections with her peers and professor from the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign. She believes that this course is beneficial and instrumental in her academic journey as she is able to learn from a Muslim professor who has valuable connections with other modern Muslim scholars. Although Nureen is majoring in Cellular Molecular Biology, she still intends on taking another DISC course during her last semester at the University of Michigan. Nureen highlights the importance of DISC and Islamic Studies as they discuss relevant topics in her daily life and strengthen her education while also allowing her to understand her identity and how it affects her daily interactions with people.