Muslim men pray at the Islamic Center of Lawrence, 1917 Naismith Drive. The center will have an open house from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday featuring information, tours and regional foods from Muslim countries. Lectures will follow later in the week.

When non-Muslims step inside the Islamic Center of Lawrence, Barakat Makrami says, they’re often surprised by how much Islam has in common with their own faith.

“I see it as an ice-breaker,” Makrami says of getting people to tour the Islamic Center.

“We are different in some concepts, but we are open to the community, and we want to bridge our differences.”

A series of events this week will attempt to do just that.

The Islamic Center, 1917 Naismith Drive, and the Muslim Student Association at Kansas University are organizing their annual Islamic Awareness Week.

It kicks off Monday with an open house at the center. Members will be preparing food from their native countries, and a variety of information and tours will be available for visitors. The center held a similar open house in 2004.

“It seems to be a good way of introducing our society to Lawrence people,” says Makrami, who is the associate director of the center and a member of the Muslim Student Association.

Events continue at KU through the week, with lectures about social justice and women’s rights, as well as a personal explanation of why the director of the Muslim American Society’s Freedom Foundation became a Muslim.

“There are a lot of misconceptions about Islam,” says Wael Al-Roumi, who is in charge of the events for the Muslim Student Association.

“If you asked a random person on campus about Islam, they would probably think of terrorism and blood. We’re trying to teach the college what Islam is all about.”