Maintaining religous beliefs at Drury

Alexis Robinson assistant copy editor

There is only a handful of Muslim students on Drury’s campus, but despite their small numbers, the three students I spoke with said they still maintain their cultural heritage.

According to Hicham Fathi El Idrissi, who is from Morocco, Muslims are to pray five times a day. Zehra Ishaq, a student at Drury, who is from Pakistan, prays five times daily. She also refrains from drinking alcohol and eating pork. Muslims believe that pork is unhealthy because pigs eat garbage, drinking is also considered to be unhealthy.

A lot of the laws regarding women’s dress, makeup and even dating are there to protect the women, Ishaq said.

Women aren’t allowed to wear clothing that reveals skin above the wrists on the arms and on their legs clothes must cover the ankles.Women also aren’t supposed to wear makeup in front of strange men, this attracts unwanted attention. These laws are to benefit women, Ishaq said.

According to Mehdi Belbacha, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, during the Islamic month of Ramadan.

In Morocco, if someone is caught eating during Ramadan he will be thrown in jail for several months, regardless of his religion. Neither Ishaq, Belbacha, nor Fathi El Idrissi feels pressure from their friends to adopt Christian beliefs.

Ishaq openly discusses and practices her religion on campus.

She does understand that her religion may make some students feel uncomfortable. Ishaq said this discomfort might be because everyone feels his or her own religion is the correct one.

“Some people don’t want to listen to other people’s religious beliefs,” Ishaq said.

Ishaq also said her friends don’t pressure her to drink. They know what she is allowed to do and they stay away from things she is not.

Drury’s students seem to have accepted this religious diversity, allowing these students to openly express their religion on campus.

(Ed. note) In the wake of last Tuesday’s events, we should remember not to blame Muslims for this tragedy. It is also important to respect the views and beliefs of these deeply religous classmates.