Enter Georgetown’s Muslim Prayer Room Hall, and you are met by spiraling, colorful, glass-adorned columns that seem to contradict the drab, utilitarian decor of the Copley Hall basement. Holy texts, translations and interpretations are stacked in bookshelves against the wall. Parallel red lines stretch across the carpet, guiding the barefooted worshipper to face the exact direction of Mecca.

It was against this backdrop that Wasim Rahman, chaplain-in-residence of Harbin Hall, conducted his discussion titled “How Do Muslims Pray?” on Wednesday evening.

“It’s not about putting your face to the floor,” he said, explaining that by kneeling down close to the floor, worshippers, at least in a symbolic sense, place their heart above their intellect.

“It’s almost like having a conversation with God,” Hashim Chadhry (COL ’11), a member of the Muslim Students Association, said.

Rahman’s discussion marked the fourth event in Peace Not Prejudice Week, which was hosted by the MSA.

Farah El-Sharif (SFS ’09), president of the MSA, said that this week was important for promoting the ideals of Islam.

“With recurrent anti-Muslim sentiments in the aftermath of 9/11, the idea for this week was inspired by a sense of urgency to highlight the true spirit of Islam: one of peace and justice for all mankind,” she said.

Kicking off the week was a lecture titled “What the New President Needs to Know About the Muslim World,” which was delivered on Monday by Ahmed Younis, a senior analyst for the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies.

Noreen Shaikh (COL ’12), a member of MSA, said that the lecture was a good reminder of the present state of Islam and its identity.

“In the beginning, it was a little depressing [to learn] how much `Islamaphobia’ there actually is,” Shaikh said. “But by the end of [the lecture], you’re actually uplifted to see how much people are learning.”

Other events hosted during the week have included Tuesday’s screening of “Prince Among Slaves,” a film about an African prince forced into the slave trade, as well as last night’s “open mic” event, which included performances of both Palestinian rap and spoken word. On Wednesday, Samer Badawi, executive director of United Palestinian Appeal, discussed microfinance and poverty in the Islamic world.

Today, the Syrian writer Mohja Kahf will conduct a lecture about her experiences as a Muslim woman on the hajj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca. Kahf’s works include a novel, “The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf,” poems and various newspaper articles.

The week concludes on Saturday with a community service day, offered through the Georgetown’s chapter of First Book, an organization that provides new books to children in need.

“By organizing Peace Not Prejudice [Week], the MSA is saying there is no room for hate and discrimination in this world today,” El-Sharif said.

Speaking to the week’s potential impact, Shaikh said that she hopes the group sends an inviting and engaging message to the rest of the Georgetown campus.

“We’re trying to say that we’re your neighbors,” she said. “We’re your peers, your friends.”

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