I attended this talk by Sheikh Elshinawy and Imam Hernandez and everything was very interesting, but not in the way you would think. The talk itself was intriguing, but it was everything that they didn’t say that was the most interesting part.
Sheikh Elshinawy came in wearing a kuffiyeh, the traditional Palestinian scarf. Throughout the whole talk the expression on both Shiekh Elshinawy and Imam Hernandez’s faces were unreadable. It was confusion, anger, frustration, and every other emotion mixed all together.
This talk happened shortly after October 7th, the day that began the war on Gaza. Emotions were heightened and the college still did not know how to correctly deal with the situation. Sheikh Elshinawy and Imam Hernandez have been very vocal about their support for Palestine for years, so it was upsetting that it was not mentioned once throughout the whole talk. It was as if they were tiptoeing around the subject, as if they weren’t allowed to speak about it.
Although the point of the talk was not to be about current events, I believe everyone in the audience felt that way. The aura in the room and the words that came out of both Imams’ mouths struck you in a way it normally wouldn’t. It was interesting to see how the college handled this situation and what Sheikh Elshinawy and Imam Hernandez did to work their way around school rules. Everyone who was in attendance of the talk that day felt off about something, and I hope everyone learned a little something as well.
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