Who forgets their first day at University? Well not me! Hundreds of nervous faces lined up in a never ending queue. It started under the large tent by the side entrance of the sports hall flowing all the way until Bishop hall (What used to be the old 5-aside football pitches). Actually lucky for me I found some college chums, so it was easy for me tag along with those I knew. Not before long nearly an hour had passed, whilst we edged ever closer to the front of the queue.

Funnily enough there was a small group of guys prating about under a tree not far away from where I was standing. The first that caught my eye was wearing one of those bright red and white Palestinian scarves around his neck. The person next to him was showcasing a clean white thobe (a traditional Islamic outfit) with a well groomed beard.           

            They appeared both to be Muslims which was kind of comforting to see in such a cosmopolitan environment. I had seen a few sisters wearing head scarves here and there, but other than that you couldn’t tell who was who.

I had noticed the first guy was helping a few people with directions, but Lo and behold the big bearded guy began slowly walking up towards me. (It should be noted that I didn’t have many Muslim friends at college nor did I get involved in any of the activities of the Islamic society - my house was close to college which meant I used to have lunch and pray at home, and even that was when I started to pray properly.)

                        Anyways, he approached me and said “Assalam alikum” I looked around me and pretended I didn’t know who he was talking to. Then he repeated it again and I had to respond saying, “Walaikum asalam”. He asked kindly what I was studying, what college I’m from etc… I was still abit anxious.

            In his hand was a batch of small pamphlets, which I was curious to see. He saw my eyes fixed on them, so he gave me one. It had useful information about Halal food, prayer times, local mosques and more. He then asked “Do you know where the prayer room is?” I was surprised, but happy to know there was a local hub for congregational prayers. He directed me to the back of the Medical center, which I later found. By the end of our encounter I actually felt at ease.

            Eventually we reached the front and the enrollment process was under way. It was all over within an hour and I was officially a Brunel Fresher! 

Over the next few days I was kept wondering who those guys were. Within a few days Freshers fair arrived and I had a brisk look around for different clubs and societies. I was keen to join the badminton club, but I couldn’t find it. As I was looking around I saw this big bearded brother again – He turned out to be the VP of the Islamic society.

            I reminded him of our previous weeks encounter, we both laughed it off and I signed up to the Islamic society. They had a long list of activities that were planned for the year including Islamic lessons, sports activities, Eid outings, Ramadan gatherings and more – so this was enough of an incentive to join up.

 Actually this is the first chapter of many, leading to me eventually becoming the VP of the Islamic society in 2004/05. Alhamdullilah, I graduated this year with a 2:1 honour in Computer Systems Engineering, together with one year full time Industrial work placement. Now that it’s all over I hope to share my experiences so it will benefit all those who aspire to balance both academic aspirations and religious commitment.

Fouad Ibrahim

30.09.2007