USA-FLORIDA: MOSLEM CLERIC TO SPEAK AT UNIVERSITY

Islamic scholar to speak at Fla. Tech
BY J.D. GALLOP FLORIDA TODAY

A world-renowned Islamic scholar will speak about religion and building bridges to other faiths as part of a public lecture at Florida Tech on Friday night.

The free event will take place starting 6 p.m. at the Gleason Performing Arts Center at Florida Tech's Melbourne campus.

Siraj Wahhaj, the Imam of the Masjid Al-Taqwa mosque in Brooklyn, has garnered attention for his role in anti-drug campaigns and promoting the virtues of Islam.

Wahhaj, who studied Islam in Mecca and heads the Muslim Alliance of North America, has also appeared on national talk shows discussing Islam in a post-Sept. 11 world.

"He will speak on opening bridges to faith. There are so many similarities in our three faiths. We can take our strengths from that rather than the differences," said Muzaffar Shaikh, a professor and head of Florida Tech's engineering department.

"We do have commonalties."

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