In the winter of 2002, during a campus-wide celebration of the Muslim holiday Eid, which marks the end of Ramadan, Joel Bhuiyan ’06 had an epiphany.
“I realized just how many Muslims there were,” Bhuiyan said.
But Bhuiyan didn’t want to come together with fellow Muslims just during the big Islamic holidays, so he decided to get organized.
Along with Saad Handoo ’06 and Yogi Koasanto ’04, Bhuiyan brought life to the then-dormant Muslim Student Organization.
“After Sept. 11, Koran sales went way up, along with stereotypes and misunderstandings about the true nature of Islam. Part of the goal of our group was to teach people about Islam and to open up discussion,” Bhuiyan said.
The group also wanted to make organized Muslim worship on campus possible. In the spring of 2003, Bhuiyan, Handoo and Koasanto went to Dean of Student Services Mike Whaley to ask for a worship space and a Muslim Chaplain.
“I knew that it wasn’t common for a university to have a Muslim Chaplain,” Bhuiyan said. “Larger universities like NYU don’t have Muslim Chaplains. I knew it would be a big step for the school in acknowledging the Muslim community.”
Other universities of comparable size and rank, like Vassar and Williams, do not have Muslim Chaplains. But Wesleyan was willing to take that step.
This year, Imam Abdullah Antepli accepted a full-time position as Muslim Chaplain and has played a key role in bringing speakers to campus as well as leading prayer services and discussions.
Bhuiyan describes worship at Wesleyan as unique.
“At Wesleyan, spirituality is emphasized over religion,” he said. “The idea of religion can have a negative tone for people who associate it with strict dogmas and rigidity.”
In response to this concern, the Muslim Student Organization has tried to tailor the worship options to student life and make the organization as open as possible.
“With more people involved, I feel a greater motivation to practice Islam and to continue teaching others,” Bhuiyan said.
Wesleyan recently created a Muslim Prayer Room in room 209 of the building at 169 High Street. Communal prayer occurs on Fridays at 1 p.m. for one week on-campus and one week off-campus at the Berlin Mosque (shuttle leaves at 12:45 p.m from behind the Religious Department). Along with this prayer meeting, every Friday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Muslim students and Muslim Middletown residents gather for deeper discussions of Islam.
One non-Muslim thinks this will be educational.
“I know you’re supposed to face Mecca, but that’s about it. I think I could definitely benefit from going to the discussion series,” said Nicholas Gerry-Bullard ’06.
The Muslim Student Organization also hosts a discussion series on Islam.
Starting Oct. 11, every Monday from 6 to 7:30 p.m., there will be a discussion series and class titled “Introduction to Islam: Rumor or Reality?” It is open to the public as a means of learning more about the history, the major doctrines, movements, and the goals of Islam.
To get involved with the Muslim Student Organization, contact Joel Bhuiyan at jbhuiyan@wesleyan.edu.
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