Michigan Tech attracts many students for its status as a top research institution in the United States. These students come from far away, and while many learn to appreciate the campus’ remote location after hours of exploration and recreation, the transition to a new community can present challenges for anyone.
Michigan Tech’s international students find many ways to connect with each other and the Copper Country community. The Festival of Nations tomorrow will highlight the campus’ international community, but many students connect with the region beyond the one-day event through various organizations.
At the end of Ramadan in the spring, the Muslim Student Association held its first community meal in Calumet to celebrate the end of the Islamic holy month. Puti Akbar, MSA’s community outreach coordinator, led a discussion on Jihad and its meaning within Islam. Jihad refers to the efforts made throughout one’s life to live and bring your community in communion with God, or Allah.
“We are all the same from the Abrahamic religion with the same common grounds, even with Christians,” Akbar said. “The difference is we just have different views of the last of the prophets. At first, I felt uncomfortable doing this because I didn’t want people to think I’m trying to convert them to Islam. But it’s been well received because people can see we have the same values. What people portray about Islam is much more negative, and it’s not even representing the soul of Islam itself.”
Food serves as a powerful connector across cultural divides. Throughout the years, the Muslim Student Association has highlighted dishes from different countries where many people practice Islam.
“When you are abroad from your country and you need to see something familiar from back home, when you see food from the MSA from Bangladesh, India and so on, it fills you with happiness and joy,” said Bassem Abedelghani, president of the Muslim Student Association. “Using food as part of the Festival of Nations helps international and local students understand different countries and cultures.”
This year, the group plans to bring Mandi, a spiced rice and meat dish, a vegetarian option and Gulab Jaman for dessert. The student organization has also supported the Keweenaw’s International Children’s Festival at the Portage Lake District Library in the lead up to Saturday.
“The children’s festival is very popular and well received,” Akbar said. “This year MSA supports the festival at the library where kids can explore cultural displays from Muslim countries. They can learn about Egypt, Indonesia and other nations with large Muslim populations.”
MSA includes more than 150 students and their families. The organization reaches out beyond the campus community and has welcomed residents to daily prayer and weekly community prayer sessions. Recently, the group partnered with Breakwater Federal Credit Union to bring a financial literacy program to campus and organized a kayaking trip to welcome students back.
“If you just stay with your countrymen, for example from Egypt, we are just five people,” Abedelghani said. “We cannot be a community if we are just five. But if you include people from Jordan, Indonesia, India and Bangladesh, now we are bigger. Last week we had a kayaking event that was only possible because MSA connects with other organizations, bringing different people together.”
The Muslim Student Association at Michigan Tech brings international students from across the globe together through a shared connection with their faith. Akbar and Abedelghani say it has been wonderful to grow a diverse community through a common thread. The pair are excited for the community to meet many more students from the international community living in the Copper Country tomorrow.
Learn more about the Festival of Nations and international student organizations online. The Festival of Nations will set up inside the Dee Stadium and on the Houghton waterfront pier. The event opens at noon and ends at 4 pm on Saturday.
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