By Millie Appleton

Though Christians, Hindus and Muslims might not believe in the same doctrines, they all have a common desire: to be part of a group with similar beliefs. The UA offers a diverse range of religious organizations on campus for students to worship, share, educate and just come together.

As schoolwork can easily become overwhelming and monotonous, religious groups can grant a sense of peace and offer a place to meet new people who share the same beliefs.

Photo By Stephen Ironside

“It’s nice to see that there are people who have the same values as I do and who foster the same values,” said Uri Farkas, president of the Hillel Jewish Student Association.

Farkas came to the UA from Bolivia knowing there wouldn’t be a large Jewish population in Arkansas. He also knew it would be a challenge trying to maintain his traditions, he said.

The mission of the Hillel Student Association is to promote service, fellowship and community among Jewish students and those interested in Judaism, according to the organization’s Web site.

“It’s good for students because there are so many other Christian-based organizations that we don’t want to be left out,” Farkas said. “We are a small organization, but it does include the Jewish population of Arkansas.”

The majority of religious organizations on campus center around Christianity, with more than 20 listed on the Web site for registered student religious organizations. One organization, Campus Crusades for Christ, is on thousands of college campuses in the United States and worldwide, and offers weekly meetings, small groups, conferences and summer mission trips.

“It helps you connect to other Christians, and they put a lot of emphasis on reaching out to non-Christians,” said Kristy Hunt, a member and Bible study leader with Cru. “It also helped me meet more people who are like me.”

Many students search for groups where they can feel connected and share their religious experiences. One unique UA group is an international student religious organization.

A campus ministry through St. Thomas Aquinas has a Roman Catholic organization for international students called Domus, which means “home” in Latin. Though group members share the same Catholic background, their main activity is to host international mass, said Fadi Eldeek, member of the group. With everyone bringing some of their traditions from back home, they read from prayers in their native languages and serve international meals, he said.

Eldeek stressed the importance of learning about other cultures and having a more in-depth insight into how Catholic traditions work around the world, and this group provides that.

“You learn a lot by talking to someone, by sitting with them and just hanging out, things that you could never learn by just googling information and watching the news,” he said.

Another group specifically for international students is the International Student Christian Association. ISCA provides small-group studies, prayer meetings, international nights of worship as well as the opportunity to live in a community with other international students.

Despite the UA’s location in the “Bible Belt,” there are many religious organizations on campus not based on Christianity. Though there isn’t an Islamic worship organization, there are several groups with the purpose of educating students about Islam.

Muslimas of UARK began in 2004 with the main purpose to give female Muslims on the UA campus a voice, “especially with the way the media has been portraying Muslim women lately,” said Amen Ismail, member of the group.

“It’s just really nice to kind of come together and have a collective voice,” Ismail said. “There’s so much diversity in the Muslim religion itself, and everyone comes from such different cultures.”

The group hosts lectures about Muslim women’s rights and different parts of the religion itself. Next semester, members are planning to host an Islamic Awareness Week.

“It’s more to educate people about Islam, and with the more voices we have and more concerns that are shown, we can achieve that purpose,” Ismail said.

Other Islamic groups on campus include the Muslim Student Association and Al-Islam Student Association.

Another distinctive organization on campus is the Hindu Student Council. The goals of the organization are to provide an opportunity for Hindus and non-Hindus to learn about the Hindu culture as well as to foster awareness about issues within the faith, according to the organization’s Facebook page.

Other UA campus organizations include the Buddhist Value Creation Society, Agnostics and Atheists Society and Latter-Day Saint Student Association. A full list of UA registered student religious organizations can be found on the UA Web site under Campus Life.