Students at Mount Royal University are leading their peers across Canada in an initiative which aims to increase public awareness to the principles of Islam while debunking myths and preventing radicalization.

The concept of the We Are Not Them (WANT) movement originated in the United States and has since expanded to 19 countries around the world.

The display at Mount Royal University highlights the differences between Islam and the violent extremists who misrepresent the religion.

“I want people to be able to look and say ‘Hey, I’m a Christian’, ‘Hey, I’m Jewish’, ‘Hey, I’m Catholic’, and ‘Hey, I’m Muslim’ and not have Muslim stand out,” explains MRU student Mark Tisdale.

The WANT project will remain on display at MRU until the middle of April. At the end of the campaign, student representatives from the 19 nations will meet to discuss their progress.

With files from CTV's Rahim Ladhani