By Saba Naseem

In a small corner in Mullins Library, past crowded computer labs and long lines by the printer, past copy machines and rows of bookshelves, a young Muslim prostrates in prayer.

Hadeel Alselah, a sophomore information systems major, offers one of the five daily prayers. Her forehead, palms, knees and feet touch the prayer rug as she remembers God in the quiet environment of the library. The thin yellow prayer mat, embellished with a picture of a mosque and lined edges, faces northeast toward Mecca.

When not offering prayers, Alselah is like every other college student – cramming for tests, hanging out with friends and surviving off of Starbucks.

Photo By Stephen Ironside

In her free time, she likes to go to Lake Fayetteville with her friends where they sit and drink tea or coffee and take walks to enjoy the weather. If the weather is not ideal for the lake, “I go shopping at the mall, I go to the movies, or just hang out at Starbucks where I usually bump into friends,” she said.

Alselah moved to Fayetteville with her family of seven when she was 11 years old. Because of her young age, she didn’t feel much of a culture shock, although she was homesick for the first year, she said.

She is one of many Muslims on campus, some who come here from different countries and others who were born and raised in America. They live at home with their families, in apartments, in dorms or in sorority houses. Muslims are integrated among the college student mainstream, their lives just as normal or complicated as those of anybody their age. Even though Muslims have some differences that set them apart, the youth find similar ways of enjoying life like other college students and face many of the same problems with classes and work.

They spend time with friends, go to the movies, listen to their iPods, spend hours on YouTube and Facebook, go to the gym, make study groups and support the Razorbacks.

“I listen to Arabic music, classical rock, country music and Celine Dion,” Alselah said. Other students said they listened to artists such as Metallica, Journey, Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake.

Although drinking and partying might be a big part of the college life, many Muslims abstain from drinking alcohol and doing drugs because it is strictly forbidden in Islam. Instead, they find other ways to spend their time.

“I go swimming, jogging or play tennis,” said Ali Khorrani, an electrical engineering student from Iran. “Once, I jogged all the way from Wilson Park to the mall.”

“For fun, I like to study, read and spend time with family and friends,” said Heba Abdelaal, a junior Spanish and international relations major.

Abdelaal is a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority where she stays active by doing community service. Her room offers a sense of both her Islamic religion and her sorority – on the wall hangs a sorority poster, but also a mosaic of the 99 names of God.

Between classes, work and other extracurricular activities, Muslims must find ways to fit the five daily prayers into their schedule. Many students go to the mosque, located across from the HPER on Razorback Road.

“I usually pray in my room after my classes, but when I can, I try to go to the mosque,” Abdelaal said.

Other students find places on campus where they can quietly say their prayers. Alselah prays in the library or in a room in the Union.

“I usually adjust my schedule so that my classes won’t be conflicting with the prayer times,” said Amir Mohammad, a senior biology major from Ethiopia. “When I’m on campus I read my prayers in a study room in the library.”

Mohammed also carries a thin prayer mat and a compass with him, so that he can pray anytime.

For those who have grown up practicing Islam and have been praying since they were young kids, the daily prayers are as much a part of their life as are daily meals. Just as food and water are needed to sustain human life, the prayers are a way to sustain the human soul. However, for some who have converted to Islam, this transition to praying five times a day can be a challenge.

“It’s hard right now to say all my prayers on time because it is a big change from praying once a week to praying five times,” said Dusty Caler, a freshman education major and a recent convert to Islam. “However, I try my best.”

Caler uses an application on her iPhone that gives her the timings of the prayer in Fayetteville.

Caler is American-born, and she converted from Christianity this year. Although this new religion has brought her a new way of life, most of her activities have stayed the same, she said.

Friends have accepted this change and stuck with her, she said. There are many misconceptions about Islam and “now that I’ve converted, people are curious and ask questions.”

Tragedies such as 9/11 and the Fort Hood shooting have caused backlashes and hatred toward Muslims in many cities across America, but “UA students and professors have always been open and understanding,” said Anum Rashid, a sophomore biology major.

“I love the people here and how they respect one another,” Alselah said. “There is no segregation, no discrimination, and people are open minded to other religions and cultures.”

Muslims on campus, no matter where they are from or where they were raised, have made Fayetteville their home.