If Marquette’s goal is for students to grow in their faith, its 17 Muslim students are doing just that. But recognizing the value and dignity of all people helps break down those obstacles and build respect, he said. Often, “we see the other as so different that it creates a barrier,” he said. To Marco, the interactions between students of different faiths are a gift. Just before sundown, Sajanlal got a text from him: “It’s almost time, one minute left! Let’s go!” It was a meaningful connection across faith traditions. Sajanlal said that one day, a friend tried fasting with him. People often ask, “Are you hungry? Are you thirsty?” The students are happy to explain that no, after a few days, they get used to it. The students’ non-Muslim friends are inquisitive and supportive as they’re fasting. The library is Khan’s go-to spot, he said, because no food or drinks are allowed. Ramadan’s requirement to fast means that while their friends are eating lunch in the cafeteria, the students are finding a quiet place to study. “I still find a way to fit my faith into my daily life,” he said. Throughout the month of Ramadan, Noor said he’s been reflecting on “finding God in all things,” echoing a main tenet of Jesuit teaching. In moments of the school day designated for Christian prayer, the Muslim students said they use the time to reflect on their own values. More: A guide to Milwaukee-area restaurants offering dining events, special hours this Ramadan Friends supportive, curious about Ramadan More: Food truck festival celebrating Ramadan in Milwaukee brings hundreds together “When you delve into those questions and answer those questions, you come to a deeper understanding of what you believe yourself, and why,” Marco said. “We’re obviously unapologetic about our Catholic, Jesuit foundation,” Marco said.īut, he said, “it’s a value both to our Catholic students and our non-Catholic students to have time together,” especially in class discussions about faith. Michael Marco, the school’s president, said the goal is to help students better understand their own faith – and their fellow students’. “Teachers after-hours, they actually helped out a lot,” Khan said.Īnd today, Qhavi said he doesn’t feel he’s at a disadvantage compared to other students. They weren’t familiar with the Bible stories and Catholic concepts being discussed. So high school theology classes were an entirely new world. “I just opened up more after a semester.”įriends Khan and Umar Qhavi, also a senior, were homeschooled for 7th and 8th grade as they worked to memorize the Quran. That’s to say nothing of all the standing up and sitting down at seemingly mystifying times throughout the service. There were songs and spoken responses they’d never heard before, plus statues and stained glass windows they’d never see in a mosque. Still, the students’ first school Mass brought a lot of confusion. “While respecting the differences, we build a community here.” “A lot of the beliefs are really similar,” Noor said. Christianity and Islam share much of the same moral code, he said. Noor attended an Islamic school before Marquette. Why attend a Catholic school as a Muslim student? For senior Abdullah Noor’s father, the religious values were the selling point. “They welcome us with open arms.”Īt first mystified, students become familiar with Catholic traditions “There’s a lot of different religions here,” said senior Bilal Khan. Teachers have been accommodating, they said, and their fellow students have been curious about the process. The students, who often gather to pray in a meeting room at the school, also have been fasting from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan, which comes to an end Thursday. “The school is focused on brotherhood and community a lot, so it wasn’t too difficult to bond with other people, even though they’re not the same faith as you,” sophomore Akram Sheikh said. But over time, the students say, they grew in their own faith – and found their teachers and classmates to be welcoming and open. When they first enrolled, the school’s 17 Muslim students found themselves lost during weekly Catholic Masses and in their theology classes. “What’s up, my Abrahamic brother?” senior Ahmed Sajanlal will ask his Christian classmates with a handshake.įor Sajanlal, who is Muslim, it’s a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of the bonds between students of different faiths at the private Catholic boys’ school in Milwaukee. The students have taken to referring to themselves as Abrahamic brothers. In this year’s world religions class at Marquette University High School, an inside joke has formed.
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