Source: Star Tribune
On May 29, 1999, the Star Tribune published an article on the third biennial conference of the National Student Conference on Islam at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. The theme of this year's conference, "Muslims & Christians, Friendship & Faith," expounds on the Student Conference's goal of instilling an understanding of Islam and Muslim culture in undergraduate and seminary students. Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, professor of the History of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations at the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, gave a lecture at the conference on the Americanization of Muslims and Islam. Haddad stated that Muslim faith and practice in the United States is vibrant and growing at a fast pace: "some kind of Saudi Islam seems to be the norm. They're doing a lot of reinterpretation." She also addressed the fact that many children of Islamic immigrants attempt to distance themselves from the culture and religion of their parents. Haddad interviewed a range of white American female converts, who feel more comfortable in American society as Muslims because they are "respected for who they are rather than for the way they look." In addition, women's lives are not "tied to an outside job" and the role of wife and mother takes precedence. Mark N. Swanson, director of the Islamic Studies Program at Luther, stated: "Every group in the United States has Americanized in some sense. Each one has to find its own axis of acculturation. Different communities find their place along the axis where they're loyal to their traditions and also feel they have a role in this society."