Balancing five traditional daily prayers at specific times during the day in between classes is all part of a typical day for a Muslim student on the UW-Madison campus.
According to Yahya Altaf, public relations officer at the UW-Madison Muslim Student Association, being a Muslim on the UW-Madison campus is not any different from being Christian, Jewish or any other faith.
""I feel a sense of belonging here, and truly feel the inviting atmosphere,"" Altaf said. ""The students, faculty and community of Madison are understanding and generally have a sense of awareness that Muslims on campus and around the nation are also normal citizens.""
MSA's primary goal is to help students on campus develop a relationship with God. The organization has approximately 100 members.
MSA President Rashid Dar said making time at least five times a day for traditional Islamic prayer is very important.
""I like to think of it as a way to kind of step back from worldly life for a little bit and stand face to face with God,"" he said.
According to Dar, students practicing Islam will wake up before sunrise every day to pray, go to class and pray again around noon.
""We'll find an empty stairwell or we'll run into Memorial [library] into an empty stack where we don't think anyone will see us,"" he said. ""It's not that we don't like to be seen, but just because it will look kind of odd to the uninformed observer.""
Despite the controversy surrounding the proposed Park51 Islamic community center in lower Manhattan and the scandal over a plan to burn Qurans, Muslim students are comfortable sharing their faith with the UW-Madison campus. Dar said he enjoys praying in public because he can inform people around him about what he is doing.
""I've gotten to the point where I've gotten kind of used to it,"" Dar said. ""I don't really have a problem with praying on Bascom Hill or Library Mall because I like to tell people what I'm doing, but a lot of Muslims on campus are not.""
Friday afternoon prayer, traditionally very important to Muslims, is an opportunity for those on campus to get together, gathering at the Islamic Center of Madison on Orchard Street for a time of prayer.
MSA also works closely with the UW Muslim Jewish volunteer initiative to reach out to the community.
