Mohammed Hassan, 20, is majoring in computer engineering at Fresno City College. He is also a devout Muslim.
“Praying is the best thing I can do in a day,” Hassan said. “It’s the most relaxing time of the day.”
Mr Hassan described the importance of completing five daily prayers as a “duty” for all Muslims. He said this is a way to differentiate between Muslims and non-believers.
Hassan described it as a way to regain focus amid outside distractions and “heal the soul.”
As a busy college student, Hassan looks forward to being able to take a step back and perform the Dhuhr prayer, one of his prayers that is usually performed after 12 p.m.
Hassan said he sometimes gets very tired from his responsibilities and the pressure he feels, but after praying everything goes away and he is ready to “start fighting life again.”
Six months after graduating from high school, Hassan immigrated from Saudi Arabia to pursue higher education at FCC. Growing up in Saudi Arabia, Hassan was used to praying in the comfort of a mosque. But that wasn’t the case when he came to the FCC.
“It was difficult to come up with ideas at first, but [that] There is no place to pray.sometimes i [would] I feel scared…someone [will] Please do something for me,” Hassan said.
Hassan has also heard stories online of people being harmed while trying to pray in public.
Despite this, Hassan continues to pray regularly and chooses a place on campus where there are not many people around.
Hassan is not the only one who has to pray in public.
The search for a prayer/meditation room was a journey initiated by the former Fresno City University Islamic Student Association (MSA).
Former MSA president Khadijah Chaudhry said the club was founded at FCC in 2021 and worked to set up a prayer and meditation room soon after its founding. Despite their efforts, the students were unable to obtain a room.
“Honestly, my entire time at MSA was dedicated to the prayer room,” Chaudhry said.
She said that while attending FCC, she never felt unwelcome or inappropriate as a Muslim student.
“I felt like I had a place where I belonged,” Chaudhry said.
However, Chaudhry and his friend were approached on campus by someone who appeared to be under the influence. She said that she felt that the person could see that she was a Muslim and that she felt the following:
You need to approach them.
Chaudhary cited an unpleasant encounter at a conference as an example.
We worked with FCC Vice President Omar Gutierrez as a way to better understand the experiences of Muslim students.
“Praying in public is never safe for us,” Chaudhry said.
However, this did not inspire me to take action to create a meditation room.
Chaudhry said the group met with Gutierrez and was told there was a problem.
The potential space they could use. However, at subsequent meetings, no direct permission was granted to use the location.
She expressed feeling “dismissed” by Mr. Gutierrez and felt that Mr. Gutierrez was “uncooperative” throughout the process of discussing potential options.
Gutierrez said administrators, including himself, were “very candid” and openly spoke to students he met about the lack of space on campus. Mr. Gutierrez is responsible for overseeing the FCC’s buildings, facilities, budget and spending.
Gutierrez explained that the meditation room was something the university was unable to accommodate at the time due to a lack of available space. Each building must have a designated purpose. Gutierrez said the decision to designate a meditation room will involve both himself and the FCC chairman. According to Gutierrez, the most common facilities successfully built are teaching laboratories or offices where faculty and students can communicate.
Gutierrez also said there is even a lack of space for teachers. He said hiring understaffed faculty is an ongoing issue the university is trying to address.
“We need to create space for them,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez connected this example to a broader issue.minimize space
One purpose/group creates space for another purpose/group.
He said FCC is growing, but with that growth “comes growing pains.” Nick Hernandez, FCC political science professor and former MSA advisor, said the lack of a prayer/meditation room for students is indicative of mental health issues.
Hernandez said she learned from her students that “their prayers are times of deep reflection and focus, and they can’t be done just anywhere.”
Hernandez said he witnessed Muslim students praying outdoors on a balcony above the old administration building because there was nowhere else to pray.
Hernandez said: “Any religion that doesn’t acknowledge that their religion is against their values, doesn’t give them space to practice their religion, doesn’t acknowledge that it’s a mental health issue. “This is shocking to me,” he said, expressing his disappointment with the administration.
Not giving students a place to pray and breathe is not just a problem.
Hernandez said it’s not just a religious issue, but also a mental health issue.
Gutierrez said he visited Fresno State’s prayer/meditation space to see what it was like.
However, “community colleges do not necessarily endorse these types of universities.”
The room,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez explained that community colleges are funded differently than four-year universities like Fresno State University, which offers meditation rooms.
“At the community college level, we get funding for how we utilize our space and the efficiency within that space,” Gutierrez said.
Former Clovis Community College MSA advisor Cindy Walker also acknowledged that the failure was due to a lack of space. She added that her students have been asking for it for years.
But Gutierrez said he has learned that other community colleges in California, including Berkeley Community College, have been able to accomplish this for their students.
Gutierrez said the FCC is “accepting all religious positions and all people’s positions.”
We believe in “interpreting who you are” and want to continue supporting students in achieving their educational goals.
But the prayer/meditation room was just something the university “didn’t want to tackle” at the time, Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez said all students have the right to pray on campus if they wish, but there is no need to set aside a room for it.
But for students like Hassan, prayer is an important part of their day, and ultimately their religion is something that cannot be “left out the door” when they enter university.
His Muslim community in Fresno is said to be his “family here” and a lifeline while he is away from his family in Saudi Arabia.
“If I’m not at university, most of my time is spent at the masjid or mosque…that’s basically my home,” Hassan said. “All my friends and family are there. [at the mosque]”
According to Google Maps, the closest mosque to Fresno City College is 8.2 miles away by car.
Hassan didn’t want to speak for all Muslims, but said, “It would be great to have a meditation room and it would really help.” [other] There are Muslims on campus,” Hassan said.
Hassan said that in order for Muslims to pray in a room, there should be no pictures or statues in the room.
“It’s just a room to pray. There’s nothing difficult about it,” Hassan said.
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