Muslims, Hindus face challenges

Students try to follow their religious beliefs on an often ignorant campus. All college students face the challenge of leaving behind the familiarity of home. But for Muslim and Hindu students, arriving at a school where they are in the religious minority presents other difficulties such as a lack of organized religious events and other students' misconceptions about the too-often unfamiliar religions. According to a recent Daily Pennsylvanian poll of 250 random undergraduates, Muslims comprise 1 percent of Penn's student body, while about 6 percent of students identified themselves as Hindu. The poll had a margin of error of 6 percent. The Muslim Students Association, with 20 regular members, fosters community unity by allowing those who practice Islam to come together on Wednesdays for pizza study breaks and on Fridays for group prayer and a speaker. Group members say larger events often attract up to 80 people. But many Muslims said they have felt the sting of difference when interacting with non-Muslim students. MSA Secretary and College freshman Suzanne Basha said people often stare at her during the five times a day her religion requires her to pray. "Sometimes I have to leave class and pray in stairwells because there is a two-hour period within which I need to pray," she said. "But one time before class, a group of students just stared at me and laughed." Basha added that students constantly question other aspects of her religion, including the traditional scarf -- worn to hide a woman's beauty in front of unknown men -- and the Muslim practice of fasting during the month of Ramadan. Still, many Muslim students said they did not feel discriminated against at the University. Many agreed that others' curiosity about Muslim practices did not necessarily translate into prejudice. "I didn't expect to be seen as a normal person," Medical student Mustafa Khan said. "But I am not seen as an extremist here. At Penn, the Muslims, Jews and Christians are like a family." Khan added that he thought that "typical" conflicts between Muslims and Jews -- often escalated by the problems in the Middle East -- were not present at the University. But MSA Vice President and College sophomore Romana Kaleem said problems arise due to the stereotypical vision "many Americans have of us as cloak-toting Muslims." Beyond what appears to be prevalent racism in American culture, Kaleem added that maintaining a strong Muslim identity while surrounded by other beliefs presented difficulties at the University. "It's a problem at any college as well as Penn," she said. "Sometimes it comes down to choosing between going clubbing and a religious activity." Although Hindu students do not have an umbrella organization, they say their presence on campus is marked by a similarly tight community. For some, however, the community seems to be bound by ethnic rather than religious ties. Since there are no Hindu temples near the University, and Hindus do not regularly convene for worship, many Penn Hindus said the community does not face "any real issues." College senior Srimant Panda, a Hindu, said his faith often causes observers to keep to themselves. "Many Hindus come to college and have already made up their minds to not seek out services and remain apathetic," he said. "Maybe that's why we appear disconnected, even when we all know each other." Others said they thought ethnicity replaced religion as the tie that binds. "I think it's just an all-encompassing Indian community," College freshman Sonali Shah said. "I'm Jain, but I am still part of the one big Indian community which is not separated by religion." Despite prevailing attitudes that both Muslim and Hindu communities created a positive environment for students regardless of their religious observance, some students said they felt it caused an "elitist" vision. One College junior, an Indian Hindu who requested anonymity, said that "it's sad that I'm looked at as an outsider if I have white friends."

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