Peer Pressure to Act Against Their Beliefs

        

Professor Shabana Mir

By Michael Nelson, MA Candidate in European Union Studies

After having attended many scholarly lectures, it was a unique experience to attend a CSAMES Brown Bag Lecture that included a professor discussing college drinking norms and students “hooking up” and so on. The comments were part of a larger dialogue in Professor Shabana Mir’s lecture, “Muslim American Undergraduates in College Leisure Culture: Conformity, Resistance and Self-Essentialism” on March 12. Dr. Mir interviewed 26 Muslim American women in college at George Washington University and Georgetown University during the 2002-2003 academic year about their leisure activities.

A big focus of the presentation was the power of American undergraduate culture in terms of drinking alcohol and dating. Most college students feel a pressure to “become an adult” by experiencing the freedom to binge drink and date. However, many Muslim students do not believe that drinking should be a part of one’s everyday life, and dating should be platonic at most. Many students interviewed by Dr. Mir indicated that their non-Muslim friends found it “weird” that the Muslim students didn’t drink and date.

 In an effort to not stick out so much, many Muslim undergrads felt obliged to give half-answers to questions about drinking and dating, as well as sometimes do things they didn’t want to do. For example, when asked if she had ever dated someone, one student said something along the lines of “not yet.” This answer implies that the student could be interested in dating but just hadn’t at that point. Another student signed a petition to allow alcohol at one special event on a dry college campus, leaving her with a feeling of guilt later.

 During the Q&A, I asked the speaker about how academic expectations at these two universities played a role in the overall leisure culture. Since George Washington and Georgetown are both top-tier competitive schools, I thought that students might be too busy with their studies to party as much as students at slightly less competitive colleges. Dr. Mir brought up a good point that there is a feeling of “work hard, play hard” at almost all colleges in the United States. Dr. Mir shared the funny anecdote that most students she has spoken with always think that their college is the number one party school in the country.

As someone who didn’t drink as an undergraduate student myself, I can attest to the fact that the University of Illinois offers students many other activities to do besides party. For incoming students, there is a dorm that is for people who commit to being drug and alcohol free, and that dorm plans many fun activities to do instead. There are also reasonably priced concerts and theater performances, as well as over 1,000 registered student organizations and campus recreation facilities. UIUC has a very active Muslim Student Association. While U of I definitely has a party culture, especially with the annual Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day, I believe that there is also a general acceptance of those who do not wish to party.