Let's Talk Religion: Islam
In a time when Roman Catholicism dominated the Erie culture, Penn State Behrend was founded on the grounds of religious freedom, allowing any student regardless of affiliation to apply. Currently, religious students from the entire world are adapting to this secular atmosphere. Siti MD Sabri, a Behrend student who aligns with the Islam faith, gave perspective into how Muslim students are represented on campus. Though Sabri’s words cannot speak for all of Behrend’s students who affiliate with Islam, her experience give a unique perspective into how Behrend’s religious atmosphere extends into a specific student’s life.
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Sabri grew up in a semi-religious family in Malaysia, a nation rich with multicultural traditions where Islam is the most popularly practiced religion. Sabri was heavily influenced by her parents, who taught religious values without pressure or conflict. Having sent her to a religious institution growing up in order to understand her religion more thoroughly, her parents played a large role in how Sabri views her religious beliefs among other different religions. “We do take note of religious view but it is more to ourselves, and we never want to burden anyone else, because as a Muslim, we believe that everyone has their own right in religions, and we would never force anyone to follow our religion. We want people to accept the differences,” Sabri said.
Growing up in this accepting environment led Sabri to begin applying these values throughout every aspect of her life, allowing her to view differences as strengths or an opportunity to perform good-natured action rather than means to tear people apart. “I became more accepting of other people because I appreciate the differences that we all have. I know that we live in a strong Islamophobia era, but I will just smile and do good deeds to other people, because I believe that violence replied with violence is unnecessary and just not right,” Sabri stated, “I might not give awareness to the whole world but at least to the people around me and maybe one day they will also tell other people about what Islam actually is and continue to do the good deeds.”
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As for how she sees Islam fitting in around campus, while Sabri sometimes sees differences between herself and students of different belief systems, she once again sees these differences as a learning experience--a chance to settle curiosity and help others understand a religion that is might be less frequently understood on college campuses in the United States. Sabri has stated that she understands confusion and curiosity when it comes to differing religions, recognizing the unfamiliarity in concepts that others might not have been brought up with. Sabri stated, “I would never blame anyone if they do not know that I cannot eat pork or drink alcohol.” While understanding this curiosity of students who are not Muslim, Sabri is open to answering questions of those who do not know much about the Islam faith. “Please never hesitate to greet any Muslim and ask them questions. I will be happy to talk with people and answer, and I just want to make as many friends as possible before I go back to my home country,” Sabri said.
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In terms of Behrend’s non-religious founding and how this goal has changed or remained the same since the time of its founding, Sabri recognizes a generally accepting atmosphere, stating that she personally feels safe on campus. Though, like with any controversial topic similar to religion, there are exceptions within the student population, Sabri stated that she has not experienced discrimination when discussing religion amongst her peers. “So far, people that asked me are all understandable, and they accept me as how I am,” Sabri said. Though, on occasion, Sabri has stated that she has encountered strange looks from students on campus, she attributes these looks to the educational environment, recognizing a want to understand rather than to discriminate. “I think that it is out of curiosity and not really discrimination. For me, campus atmosphere is generally accepting,” Sabri stated.
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As the Reed family had originally intended it, Behrend was the first college in Erie, Pennsylvania to pride itself on an admission that is not based on religion. Commenting on whether this goal has remained since Behrend was founded, Sabri said, “Yes, I do think so. People are curious but it seems that they find the differences interesting and as a strength.”