ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews some of the extant literature on Muslim college students in higher education, with special attention to identity development and experiences, gender issues, mental health, and external attitudes toward Muslims. It presents a case study of how one student affairs–run organization—the Markaz Resource Center at Stanford University—addresses some of the issues raised in the literature and serves as a “home away from home” by creating community for Stanford Muslim-identifying students. As is evident from the literature, Muslim students on college campuses can face a number of personal, social, and structural challenges that deserve serious consideration at the institutional level. The role of the hijab in the lives of Muslim women college students, therefore, remains nuanced. Community centers and student affairs officers supporting this student population should actively work to address Islamophobia and miseducation around Islam and Muslims on their campus.
