By Akeem Mellis

Students were exposed to a documentary that attempted to shatter any preconceived notions about the connections between the Islam religion and terrorism.

On Wednesday night, students attended the screening of “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against The West” in the Cultural Center Theater. This movie was sponsored by Education for Middle Eastern Truth and the College Republicans. “This is a very powerful documentary that shows the roots of Radical Islam-how hate is taught, and that people should be educated on why Radical Islam exists,” EMET President Nathan Yadgar said.

Karyn Leffel, the campus coordinator for the film, stated that this movie has “two main goals: Make a distinction between Muslim and terrorists-that not all Muslims are terrorists, and to urge everyone with different political and religious views to unite. The only way to defeat this movement is to become more active, to educate yourself and others.”

The bulk of the movie, the first of its kind in the United States, dealt with the phenomenon of Islamic extremism, making sure to contrast moderate Muslims with those who use the religion to wage a jihad against the West, particularly against the United States, Israel, and Christianity. The film utilized interviews from terrorist experts, including a former Palestinian Liberation Organization terrorist and the daughter of a martyr. The movie also aimed to show the depth and breadth of terrorism around the world, the culture it fosters, and the origins of today’s terrorist networks.

Following the viewing, a one-hour discussion of the movie was conducted by Leffel, with students asking her many questions about the film, how not to harbor a strong negative reaction against all Muslims, and how they can help spread the word not only about this movie, but its message.

Reactions to the documentary were strong and, for the most part, favored the intent of the screening. “The movie was a accurate portrayal of a real-life problem. We in the United States and in the West must wake up to the implications of this mass-hatred,” Matthew Pecorino, a second-year law student, said.

“This was an excellent eye-opener that so many people need to view in order to educate people about the harm the extremists cause but differentiates between Muslims and extremists,” Nicole Williams, a sophomore finance major, said.

However, not everybody agreed with the theme of the movie. Hamza Ahmad, a senior film major, concluded that “the intention of those behind the movie was good…the film itself, promotes hatred, which promotes propaganda.”

For the most part though, students who saw certain images of radical terrorism for the first time are now resolved and committed to spread the message of what’s going on in today’s world.