By Antonia Lopez
Staff Writer
Sayem Siddiki does not know what his exact wake up time will be each morning. Each day, he wakes up at a different time, depending on the time the sun rises.
Siddiki used his app, Muslim Pro, to know when he needed to get up for prayer. This day, he woke up at 6:15 a.m., the first prayer of the day.
Siddiki drove to Trevecca’s campus at 8 a.m. He met up with his friends in the commuter parking lot, as he does every morning.
“Assalamu alikum,” said Siddiki, as he greeted his friend, Mohammed Azam.
“Walaikum assalam,” Azam responded. This is a common greeting among Muslims. The greeting means “peace be upon you” in Arabic.
Siddiki and Azam are two of around 12 students who reported being Muslim on campus this year, which accounts for less than 1 percent of the undergraduate student population. Based on 2023 Institutional Research Data, 21 percent of Trevecca’s undergraduate students religiously identify as Nazarene, 11 percent as Baptist, and 10 percent as Christian.
They met at Trevecca in the fall of their freshman year. They both said they decided to attend Trevecca because of scholarship opportunities provided by the university and being close to home.
“My second oldest sister always wanted to go here, so I [thought] sure, I’ll go here,” said Azam. “It was also close to home, and [I got] financial aid and everything else.”
University Chaplain Erik Gernand said that while Trevecca is a Christian community providing education for leadership and service, the university welcomes students of all faiths to participate.
“We’ve created a university that gives scholarships to all sorts of people from all sorts of walks of life, so that they can get an education as an expression of love, and, and care,” said Gernand. “Hopefully [giving] people places to belong and to experience, what that looks and feels like in a place like [Trevecca].”
And that has been the case for both Siddiki and Azam.
“Everyone is friendly here,” said Siddiki. “I have more other religion friends than Muslim friends.”
Siddiki said he has answered a lot of questions from his non-Muslim friends about what it means to be a Muslim, and answered curious questions, like “What Muslims do on Ramadan?” and if “Muslims can get married four times.”
“I do a lot of [educating others],” said Siddiki. “They ask me questions, and it’s never a bully thing [or intention].”
Professors and administrators understand the importance of having representation in Trevecca’s student body, from different perspectives and religions as it assists students in their own education.
“[Trevecca] has a kind of diversity that doesn’t allow education to happen in a cultural vacuum,” said Timothy Gaines, associate professor of religion. “I always want to be sure that in the classroom multiple people, especially people who come from a minority in the community, can represent their tradition well to the rest of the community and have time and space to talk about those.”
Siddiki and Azam often leave campus at around 12:15 p.m. every day to drive to the nearest mosque for the second prayer of the day. The closest mosque to Trevecca is 10 minutes away.
“I don’t really pray here because I am not sure if there’s anywhere I could pray on campus,” said Azam. “It would be nice to have a praying space.”
Although there are designated prayer rooms in residence halls, these are not accessible to commuting students.
“That’s been a challenge around campus, not having a dedicated prayer room,” said Gernand. “We’ve had students from Christian traditions also saying, ‘We need a place to pray’. A Christian commuter student would be in a similar position as a Muslim student.”
Gernand said he is aware of the issue and looking to find a solution for commuting students.
As Trevecca participates in the celebration of Easter, Muslims also have their own celebrations around this time of year.
The holy month of Ramadan began on March 11. According to an article by the Islamic Network Group, Ramadan is considered one of the holiest months of the year for Muslims.
Ramadan commemorates when the Prophet Muhammad received Islam’s holy scripture, the Quran. It’s a time when Muslims worldwide fast from food and drink during the time the sun is up, and focus on self-control, gratitude, and compassion for those less fortunate, according to the article.
“The only thing that Ramadan really affects is my sleep, and that’s about it,” said Azam. “It doesn’t really affect my class schedule.”
Siddiki said that during Ramadan, he attends mosque more and reads the Quran, as well as praying special prayers for the holiday.
“We have a community, my friends, and we sit around and read the Quran together,” said Siddiki. “For me, [fasting] is normal. It [can be] a tough time, but in the end it is good for you.”
They usually do not need to accommodate their classes or change their schedules around to celebrate Ramadan.
“Last semester I had to take a day off for a religious celebration, and my teachers were pretty understanding,” said Azam.
Ramadan concludes with the feast of Eid al-Fitr, which celebrates the end of the month-long fast, said Azam. This year, the feast will occur on the evening of April 9.