Stockton’s Meditation Room – A Memoir
Persistence and patience pay off, as the Muslim Students Association (MSA) students have demonstrated.
The student body held a ceremony to open a new meditation room on campus just steps from the new Multicultural Center for the fall semester of 2023. The room came about after months of planning, research, two written proposals by students and support from staff in Student Development, Student Affairs and Residence Life.
To celebrate the opening of our new space, let’s take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about the ribbon cutting for our first meditation room almost 10 years ago.
Sadaf ChaudhryHe served as MSA president from 2011-2012 and as Campus Religious Council president from 2012-2013.
Building F to Building N: First meditation room
Originally from Atlantic City, Chaudhry graduated from Stockton University’s biology program with a concentration in neuroscience in fall 2014. Aside from her extracurricular activities with the clubs mentioned above and her work as a staff writer for Argo, what she remembers most is the new construction that was going on on campus.
“The Campus Center had only opened a year or two prior to that, so it was pretty new. I used it a lot to study and to hold and attend various club meetings. I remember there were a lot of buildings still under construction and the year before I graduated there were a lot of parking issues,” Choudhury said with a bit of a chuckle.
After the MSA was founded, it went into a hiatus before being revived in 2009 or 2010, Choudhury said. It was in the midst of that revival that Choudhury became president. She primarily hosted the group’s meetings and gatherings in the Campus Center, but she remembers keeping a prayer mat ready in the F Wing Atrium (the tree-filled lounge in front of the Richard E. Bjork Library) in case meeting times overlapped with daily prayer times.
“I remember we had prayer mats in a box and kept them there. It was a while ago so I may be forgetting some details, but as I recall, we had a cardboard box with prayer mats in it and whenever we had communal prayer during or after MSA meetings or at special events or whatever, we would pray there. I also think we prayed in the rooms we reserved for (general) meetings.”
“People have been asking about it for years, even before I was a student, and in a way it makes sense, because I think every campus needs it, for people to not only pray but also meditate or just rest and relax. You need a dedicated space for that, so in a way it makes sense that people have been asking about it,” Choudhury pointed out.
From the N-Wing to the new and improved F-Wing
With the opening of the Multicultural Center and Global Engagement Office, the Lower F Wing will become a new hub for students, serving them through support and guidance, programs and events.
But N Wing remains a dining location in a food hall now named “The Nest” and has few other student amenities, leaving students unfamiliar with that area of campus confused as to where their hard-earned rooms were located. That is, until the current MSA executive decided to take on the problem themselves.
according to Fatima Khawaja2021 MSA President, and Huda WaheedThe current MSA vice president said the organization itself and the meditation room they frequent are not just for their growing membership on campus, but for the community at large.
“Our community and its continued growth was what prompted us to begin the process of setting up a new meditation room. We wanted something more permanent, a space that couldn’t be ignored,” Khawaja said.
“Inspired by our community and its continued growth, we began the process of creating a new meditation room. We wanted something more permanent, a space that couldn’t be ignored.”
“Mosques around here are still developing, so we get a lot of high school students at our events, and a lot of alumni at our bigger events,” Waheed said. “A really big part of our faith is community and being with each other at congregations and practicing with others.”
The emphasis on community in Islam is evident as the group meets frequently every day except Thursday for prayer, small group faith discussions, and religious services. A space that could adequately accommodate them was a need that their previous space simply could not meet.
“There were about 40 people at the event and it was so hot and cramped. People had to bring fans from home just for the event, and I thought that was ridiculous,” Waheed said. “The room was bare and people had brought in shelves, sandals to wear when ablution, artwork and even alarms for daily prayers. They worked really hard to make the space usable and comfortable, but it still wasn’t enough.”
The new meditation room, which the group emphasizes will be available to the entire campus community, is in a more central location, features a sturdy shelf for the Quran** (or other holy text), multiple shoe shelves just beside the door from the ablution bathroom, and beautiful artwork adorning the walls, including a gold-plated qibla***.
“This space has been utilized ever since it opened.” Zikra Naz“We’ve seen students coming to meditate. It’s a quiet space and I think it’s wonderful that anyone can come here and find peace. A lot of alumni have contacted us saying they want to see this new room. They are very supportive and proud that our young people are trying to do something for the community. Our prayers have been answered and this room has become a reality. I’m grateful to everyone who was involved in this process.”
Khawaja, Waheed and the current board members look forward to continuing their work with the community and getting more alumni to participate in events.
“Now that the project is complete, we feel a sense of accomplishment,” Khawaja said. “More importantly, we feel we have finally declared our power — the power to advocate for ourselves. We hope this room will be utilized to recharge the souls of our members and practice their faith with pride. We urge all alumni to contribute to Stockton University’s diverse demographic.”
“We worked for this room because I’m not just thinking about myself, I’m thinking about my friends, my sisters, future generations. I’m thinking about the future of this club and the Muslim community in this area because there’s not a lot for Muslim students in this area,” Waheed said. “As a current student, all I hope is that our community thrives. Our events are faith-based, not academic so to speak. I think everyone can benefit from religious knowledge, so we want to continue to provide it.”
Chaudhry said he never really got to see how much the previous space was used, and is looking forward to returning to campus to see the new space.
“I’m happy that Stockton is definitely a place where I can bring my ideas to life. Because it’s a relatively new school, the staff and faculty are very open to student suggestions. I think that’s the spirit the school was founded on.”
*Muslims offer prayers five times a day, called Salah. As Islam follows a lunar calendar, the time of Salah prayer changes every day.
**The Quran is the central religious text of Islam. It is a holy book and should never touch the floor.
***Qibla indicates the direction towards the Kaaba, the holy mosque in Mecca, to which Muslims face when praying.
– Story by Lukiah Taylor
