Valparaiso High School’s Muslim Students Association (MSA) held its annual Interfaith Discussion on Thursday after school in the VHS cafeteria. Christians, Muslims, Atheists, and many more took the stage and participated in the discussion.
Discussion stemmed off of the question, ‘Is there a meaning of life? And if so, what is it?'
Students explored and articulated their thoughts and beliefs in regards to philosophy, religion, and many more insightful topics. The hour-and-a-half long discussion welcomed people of many faiths or lack thereof.
Vice-president of MSA and VHS junior Luma Khabbaz stated, “Personally, this is my favorite event. I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for me to have a better understanding of peers and what they believe it. In school, we don’t always have the opportunity to talk about philosophy or religion. It is pretty clear that the participants enjoy it, too. This is definitely our most popular event!”
Students of all beliefs shared their thoughts and were respectful to each other's beliefs. The students sat in a circle and took turns to share their thoughts and posed some thought-provoking questions such as, ‘What is the difference between a soul and a conscious?’ or ‘What happens after death?’
VHS freshman Amber Tan said, “This event was horizon-broadening. I’m a freshman this year, and I never realized how diverse VHS was until now. It is awesome to hear other people’s views, especially when people bring up science. Science is my forte, so I like to hear people’s interpretation of while taking religion into account.”
As the event came to a close, the MSA thanked the participants for attending. The inter-faith discussion is one of the many events the MSA sponsors and coordinates. Throughout the last five years, the MSA has done a fantastic job in spreading knowledge about their religion and culture, while also giving VHS students to express their beliefs.
VHS senior Anand Balar said, “This interfaith discussion is really cool because it puts into perspective how different my beliefs are than others. And how their beliefs dictate their actions and words.”
The MSA and VHS students thanked Mr. John Davis for being a sponsor.