Bangladeshi student learns to adapt

From Bangladesh to Oklahoma, Kaji Hasib Rahman has practiced Islam on opposite sides of the world.  The mechanical engineering graduate student said that the transition has not been too hard, but there are cultural differences.

“It’s not that strange because I got stories from people I knew from my college in Bangladesh that came here,” Rahman said.

Rahman came to Oklahoma in August 2010, and said his word to live by has been “adapt.”

“As a Muslim student, normally it’s really good or very favorable for any kind of religious people on campus,” Rahman said. “People are very kind of curious to get to know people from other religious backgrounds.”

Though he said the majority of the community has been accepting, Rahman said he has had a few experiences that were at the very least, “awkward.”

“When I first came to Oklahoma, the second or third day I was stopped by some people and they were preaching, I guess about Jesus and God and stuff like that,” Rahman said.  “I told them, OK, I can hear your story, but you have to hear my story too.  Then they just left.”

Professor of Religious Studies Charles Kimball said that some Muslim students he encounters have had a similar experience. 

“I know some Muslim students in the past who were sort of relentlessly evangelized by what they considered to be well-meaning Christian friends in dorms and I think that got a little old,” Kimball said.

In his cluttered office filled with binders and loose sheets of paper with John Mayer crooning in the background, Rahman seemed hard at work like any typical grad student.

“One thing is that for grad students you are not interacting with that many Americans or other people because in a professional way you are working on your masters and it’s not like you can interact with people much,” Rahman said.  “You have that problem with making friends and stuff like that.”

During his time at OU, Rahman said he has met many others like him from Bangladesh, and considers himself comfortable.  However, he said he does encounter issues with honoring religious festivals or dietary guidelines. 

“One thing is that the American culture doesn’t go the way the Muslim culture goes,” Rahman said.  “You get breaks at Christmas, but we don’t get breaks for Ramadan so we don’t get to execute or I would say we don’t get to enjoy religious festivals at that level.”

Kimball said that the same is true for many other religions.

“Whether it’s a Muslim or a Hindu or people in the Jewish community as well, I think they face some of the same kinds of challenges in a culture that kind of presupposes a Christian backdrop,” Kimball said.

Rahman’s situation is different from Muslims who have grown up in Oklahoma.  Kimball said that the issue of race or ethnic identity is often more challenging that religion.

“In a place like Oklahoma, or any of the southern states, the possibility of growing up in a context as a minority or as a person of color can be more alienating that maybe even just being a Muslim,” Kimball said. 

Rahman said he counts himself fortunate to be in a progressive college town like Norman, as opposed to a town in more rural Oklahoma.

“Because it’s a college town, people get used to seeing other people that aren’t like them, but if you just go to any other random town in Oklahoma, you might find people who have never seen a Muslim before who wasn’t on Fox News,” Rahman said. 

Despite cultural differences, Rahman said he plans to remain in the United States and find a job as long as he can get a visa to work here.