Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On April 5, 2002, The Columbus Dispatch reported that "many non-Muslims have sought to understand why the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon apparently were committed by zealous adherents of a billion-member world faith. Colleges, churches and community organizations are trying to slake a thirst for knowledge about the 1,400-year-old religion and its principles... America's sudden interest in Islam has meant full calendars for scholars and clerics over the past seven months... Columbus-area colleges generally aren't adding courses on Islam, but they often are modifying existing courses in Islamic studies and world religions to answer questions about Muslims' beliefs, culture and history."