Ramadan in Style: The story of our undergraduate students in Malaysia

He washes his face, arms and feet and marches to the mosque.  Immediately he enters, a dozen and a half worshippers stand and line up behind him.Teslim Oyetunji Bhadmus, a final year Business Management student from Oyo State, does this everyday.  But “I’m not the regular Imam here.” He explains. “I’m deputizing for Mal Abdur […]

He washes his face, arms and feet and marches to the mosque.  Immediately he enters, a dozen and a half worshippers stand and line up behind him.
Teslim Oyetunji Bhadmus, a final year Business Management student from Oyo State, does this everyday.  But “I’m not the regular Imam here.” He explains. “I’m deputizing for Mal Abdur Rahman from Kaduna and Mal Dahiru from Kano.  They are our Imams.”
Abdur Rahman and Dahiru are vacationing in Nigeria and are going to return to Malaysia soon.  But in the meantime, Teslim shoulders the responsibility of leading the prayers; organizing Ramadan tafsir (interpretation of the Qur’an); a religious talk for the sisters; and tahajjud (night prayers).  Teslim recruits other students to help with these activities.  
Today, he answers questions standing under the waving trees, gestures towards the living quarters of his fellow students and calls everybody a ‘brother’ or a ‘sister.’  
“Alhamdulilah, the brothers are doing okay.  They pay more attention to spiritual matters especially in this month of Ramadan.  Sisters are doing okay too,” Teslim said.
At this time two ladies dash down the stairs of the house opposite, their heads covered in neck-length hijabs, trousers hugging their hips, bosoms about to burst through the dresses, they dive into the waiting car and fly past.  “Yes.  They too are our sisters.”  Teslim said with a smile.  “They also come to the mosque.”
For the tafsir and sisters’ talk, a PhD student, Ibrahim Lafiagi, from International Islamic University comes to Teslim’s college regularly.  He comes at 3 pm, talks to the sisters for about thirty minutes, and moves with the brothers to a bigger masjid for the tafsir.
Recently Teslim’s school, Lagenda College, was in the news when two Nigerian students, Peter and Abubakar, tragically died in a car accident.  Teslim describes it as a sad episode which necessitated some changes in the school.  For example, no student is allowed in the school with an unregistered car – usually rented.  
Although the measure may ensure security, it does not change the students’ life style.  They have resorted to buying the cars.   Instead of paying between RM1, 300 (N65, 000) to RM1, 500 (RM75, 000) rental per month, they buy the cars outright at princely prices and register them.  
Waziri Muhammad Yusuf, who was assisting with the interview, is a PhD student from University Putra Malaysia and drives a 1996 Proton Saga.  Teslim notices his car for the first and says “You wouldn’t see something like this here.”
He does not say that in jest. It is a fact.  There is a car parked in front of every house, each belonging to a student and each looking new or almost new.
But despite their opulent lifestyle, Nigerian students at Lagenda College prefer the comfort of the mosque and donate generously in this month of Ramadan.  Teslim hopes “the spirit will endure.”
The story is the same at Inti University College.  At Inti, a Nigerian heads the PMI, Malaysian version of the MSS, which comprises both local and international students.  And like Lagenda College, another PhD student from International Islamic University, Ibrahim Muazzam, comes to give tafsir in Ramadan and other months.
For iftar (breaking of fast), they collect donations, prepare food and share it among themselves in the masjid.
Basiru Salisu Kallamu from Kebbi State is one of such students who are active in the mosque community.  He is doing ACCA, a professional accounting qualification. He is the one that gathers other Nigerian students for this interview.  He says there are several other students from Kebbi and other parts of Nigeria.
But according to a second year electrical/electronic engineering scholar who pleads anonymity, the Nigerian population at Inti is decreasing because “the standards are raised and the admission requirements are more exclusive now.”
One Nigerian that meets and lives by the standards is a final year computer science student from Maiduguri.  This is her second Ramadan in Malaysia but she says it is as difficult as the last because “She cooks, studies, and fasts.  It’s nothing compared to Ramadan in Nigeria.”
Although she is willing to talk and she is dressed in such a way that will make even a conservative Muslim father proud, she does not want her name in print.  The last report in Weekly Trust newspaper about undergraduate students in Malaysia did not portray them in a positive light, she says, and her parents gave her some flak after reading it even though the report was not about her.   “My father reads Trust everyday.” She says.
She is busy with her project now but she goes to the mosque for tafsir, and visits with her relations and friends.  Yesterday she breakfasted with her married cousins and today, she is going to some friends – a married couple – at Lagenda.
At Linkokwing University, Desaria Campus, some Nigerian students have just left the mosque after a meeting with some Tabligh brothers.  They do not seem to have any organized Muslim body but they say they go to the big mosque for iftar.  
It is 6.30pm, the day is yielding its hold and darkness is beginning to gather to herald the break of fast; and Alhaji Audu Goni and Aliyu Bade are waiting for the bus to take them to the mosque for iftar.  Alhaji Audu enjoys fasting in Malaysia, “it’s as though I’m not fasting.  You do not feel the hunger or the thirst.”
Do they do their own cooking?  “Some students do,” says Aliyu Bade who transferred from Turkey to Linkokwing and who has spent only a few weeks in Malaysia, “But there’s a restaurateur across the road who prepares Nigerian food.”
I wrote this story as a feature for Weekly Trust (where it first appeared) in September 2009.  Therefore, many of the students in the story are now graduates. In fact, UPM gave Waziri Muhammad Yusuf the Best Research award in mathematics for his Ph.D. work.