The Whitworthian

Issue date: 10/9/07

Media Credit: Nick Elliott Zaid Al_jerbreen, A Sunni Muslim, demonstrates three steps of Islamic Prayer known as Salaat. In order they are known as Qiyaam, Ruk'u. and Sudjood.

Sin is something every human worries about. But between Sept. 13 and Oct. 13, sophomore Zaid Al-Jebreen, a Sunni Muslim, has to be very careful about being good. If he commits a sin, it is counted twice.

Muslims are currently observing the month of Ramadan and Al-Jebreen is going through the experience in an American culture, where fasting all day is not the norm.

Although he was born in Spokane, Al-Jebreen was raised in Saudi Arabia and has dual citizenship. In Saudi Arabia, Ramadan is a very big deal and Christian holidays are generally not observed, he said.

"Being a Christian would be embarrassing for the family," Al-Jebreen said.

In the United States, it is much different. A day of Al-Jebreen's life during Ramadan is different from the average American day, but not radically different.

"I woke up before sunup, got food, fell asleep and missed class this morning," he admitted with a laugh.

Still, Al-Jebreen said it's difficult to be engaged in Ramadan like when he was back home.

"I don't really go to the mosque very much right now," he said. "The government knows who goes."

It is the government's duty to protect its people, Al-Jebreen said, but he prefers to avoid the surveillance.

"I pray at home, and my cousins, we all pray at home," Al-Jebreen said.

There is less support on campus for Muslim students, however, he said.

"I'm sure I'm going to lose grades because I missed my class today," he said. "Not many professors understand."

Al-Jebreen described himself as not being very religious. There are two types of worship, mandatory and optional, he said. He abides by the former.

With a brother and two cousins who attend Gonzaga University, Al-Jebreen said he spends a lot of time on that campus, even going to worship at a room dedicated for that purpose.

"The second I get out of school, I go to Gonzaga," Al-Jebreen said. "People think I'm a student there."

Still, Al-Jebreen prefers a Whitworth education, saying there is more one-on-one interaction with professors. He is not the first in his family to think so.

"His father, a Muslim who attended [Whitworth] in the '70s, entrusted his son to attend," said Raja Tanas, sociology department chair. "His father sending him here is a big testimony."

So far, Al-Jebreen has enjoyed experiencing the Whitworth culture.

"I'm treated with all respect," he said. "Nobody's come up to me and said, 'Convert to Christianity!'"

Al-Jebreen feels best connected with faculty who have experienced Muslim culture, including Tanas and assistant professor of economics Karla Morgan.

Tanas was born in Palestine, and Morgan is from El Salvador but lived in a Muslim subculture in England.

Both professors are pleased to have Al-Jebreen at school and want as much of an international influence at Whitworth as possible.

"We should start to realize that we have just one of many cultures," Morgan said.

"I think [multicultural students'] presence on campus is invaluable," Tanas said.

Yet while Al-Jebreen has enjoyed learning about American and Christian culture, he said other students are not always willing to discuss his beliefs with him.

"Nobody's come to me and asked me about my religion," Al-Jebreen said. "There are more religions at Whitworth than Christianity."

As he looks forward to the classes that will lead toward his international business major, Al-Jebreen wishes he could get an excused absence when he sleeps through his class after an early breakfast.

"I'm not keeping my hopes up," he laughed.

Contact Grady Locklear at grady.locklear@whitworthian.com.

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