Here's yet another example of how students at Arizona Western College are crossing foreign boundaries -- without even having to travel.

For the past two years, Philosophy Professor David Burris has given his Comparative Religion Studies students extra credit for visiting the Islamic Center of Yuma. The field trip, this year in late November, is always scheduled to coincide with the class component on the religion of Islam.

The food from Africa, the Middle East and even Burma -- provided for the students by Yuma-area Muslim families -- represented the fact that Islam is practiced in all corners of the world. After the meal, Dr. Abdulkadir Hourani told the students about the basic beliefs and tenets of Islam, after which students asked thoughtful questions at the open microphone.

Some of the students who remained got a chance to wander around the building and ask questions of some of the other members of the Muslim Community about the religion and how it is practiced.

"The best way to study a religion is to become immersed in it, that is, exposing oneself to the culture and community in which the religion is practiced," said Professor Burris. "Although some students are initially apprehensive at the thought of stepping into what is, for many, a very foreign environment, these anxieties are quickly allayed by the warmth and friendliness of the people there.

"I cannot thank the ICY enough for providing such an enriching and enlightening experience for our students," Burris added.

Photo by Zaynab Hourani