Colleges Adapting to Increased Muslim Presence Among Students

WASHINGTON, (RNS) -- When Tarek Elgawhary was looking at colleges three years ago, he wanted the things most students want -- strong academics, a friendly campus and a reputable degree.

But when he finally decided to attend George Washington University in Washington, D.C., there was another factor at work. GWU has a Muslim student population of almost 1,000 students, and to Elgawhary, that was as important as anything else.

"I was interested in going to a place where there was a large, strong Muslim community," said Elgawhary, now a junior majoring in religion. "In the final decision, it was a factor."

As more and more students like Elgawhary seek out Muslim-friendly campuses, they are finding increasing numbers of colleges that are also willing to accommodate their religious needs. These students, who celebrated the end of the Hajj pilgrimage season on Thursday (March 16), find that having their own facilities makes it easier to be away from home during important holidays.

"There is no way to overemphasize the importance of prayer to Muslim students," said Elgawhary's roommate, Faisal Matadar. "It is probably the most defining thing about us on campus."

A number of small and large colleges are building student centers or designating space for their Muslim students just as they built Hillel centers for Jewish students or Newman centers for Catholics.

The growing acceptance of Muslim college students, however, also represents the continued mainstreaming of one of America's fastest-growing -- and least-understood -- religions. A generation ago, Muslim students were almost entirely foreign-born and had little voice on campus. Now, however, their American-born children are fueling what some say is a renaissance in American Islam.

The first Muslim student association was formed at the University of Illinois in 1963. As American Muslims grapple to define their identity in middle America, they find themselves immersed in the sometimes-difficult process of assimilation, a struggle faced by Catholics in the 19th century and Jews in the 20th.

"Our parents were inclined to accept the answer that some (colleges) could not give you a prayer room because of the separation of church and state," said Hussein El-Genk, the vice president of the Muslim Students' Association of the USA and Canada. "But for the students who were born and raised here, we say, `Hey, I need to do this and this is my right to do this.'"

The building boom on campuses can be seen at both small and large universities. At the University of Miami, students and alumni are looking to raise $4.5 million to build a 14,000-square-foot Muslim Student Center. And at GWU, where Elgawhary and Matadar found a thriving Muslim population, officials outfitted a student union room with traditional foot baths to allow students to wash their feet before prayers and created separate entrances for men and women.

For year, Muslim students at GWU -- a school of about 20,000 students with a large international population-- competed for prayer space with the school's other student groups. But now they have their own designated space to pray and hold events.

"It is a blessing for us to have our own space," Elgawhary said. "But it's more than a blessing. For us, it's a necessity."

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