Young muslim chaplain bridges gaps

Six months after becoming NYU's first resident Muslim chaplain, Khalid Latif's once-bare office has sprung to life. An array of reference books litter the formerly vacant shelves, adding warmth to their wood grain and hiding the dismal, gray cinderblocks that support them. Small stacks of paper with fresh ink sit on the corner of his desk, a supplement to an open laptop humming along beside them. Next to the desk lies a recently opened box for a new television with an internal DVD player.

Though Latif is finally home, he has precious little time to rest. Since his August appointment, Latif, 23, said he has been active on campus through outreach programs and campus initiatives, and is in the process of developing programs with the community service office. In addition, Latif has a full schedule lecturing at local colleges including NYU and Rutgers University, and local Islamic communities, he said.

After graduating from the College of Arts and Science with a degree in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies in 2004, Latif said he never expected to be counseling and advising both Muslim and non-Muslim students so often on a plethora of topics including sexual abuse, religion and substance abuse.

"I think the hardest thing to deal with is being able to listen to everything that all these kids are going through and find a way to internally deal with it, and still at the same time be an effective counselor to them," he said.

Latif said younger Muslims tend to talk about marriage and have approached him with relationship concerns as they face a rapidly changing dating scene. Earlier this month, The New York Times published the first article in a three-part series about an imam in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, who serves as a matchmaker and chaperone for single Muslims to bridge the Islamic world with the Western world.

Latif said that though he has introduced couples who eventually married, he does not pressure young couples into marriage the way some family members might. He added that marriage is a common issue facing Muslims who are becoming more immersed into American culture, which is indicative of the growth of communities that want to expand into other areas of Western culture like business and politics while preserving the principles of their faith.

While he delves into some of his advisees' love lives, though, he said other students try to play matchmaker for their unmarried spiritual leader.

Aside from romance, Latif said another conversation he often has with students is about the controversial cartoons a Danish newspaper printed at the end of this year depicting images of the Muslim prophet Muhammad. Students' emotions ran the gamut from fear to anger after learning about the cartoons, he said. But instead of staging protests or reacting out of anger, they chose to peacefully educate people, writing newspaper editorials, organizing lectures and activities, and participating in a two-part series with NYU and Columbia University called "Love and Hate in Islam," he said.

CAS sophomore and Islamic Center member Ameer Ahmed said Latif was very helpful when he met with him for advice.

"He's been doing a great job. He helps in anyway he can," Ahmed said. "I can talk to him not only about Muslim issues, but also he's offered help with my studies and in other various ways. He even offered me his office to take naps in during the day, since I live down at Water Street."

Latif also leads a seminar for high school students called "Abraham's Vision," in which he teaches about the similarities between Islam and Judaism at Muslim and Jewish high schools in the city.

"After the first couple initial meetings, the first things they said were really surprised that they're all the same," Latif said.

Though there are more than 1,000 estimated Muslim students enrolled at NYU, according to the Islamic Center's website, Latif said the Muslim community was much smaller five years ago, with about 20 to 30 students showing up for Friday prayer and only a few programs relevant to Islam. He added that there are about 250 people who attend Friday prayers, and during the month of Ramadan, there are about 150 different people every night.

Latif said he is waiting for approval for the position of resident chaplain for the Fire Department of the City of New York. The last chaplain was asked to resign last September when he publicly stated that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were the result of a broader conspiracy, according to a Sept. 20 article in Newsday.

He is likely to get the position, and he will probably start in the next few months, but he'll remain as chaplain at NYU regardless, Latif said.

CAS junior Christina Parrella said the chaplain's presence is important to dissipate assumptions about Islam.

"I think it's really important that the chaplain is here because there is still a stigma around the Muslim religion," Parrella said. "Students now have a chance to learn what the religion's about."