Amid the controversy surrounding Park51, the proposed Islamic community center and mosque in lower Manhattan, Muslim students at the 5Cs are feeling the reverberations of anti-Islam sentiments thousands of miles away.

One student who wished to remain anonymous described an incident in which, after he had finished one of his five daily prayers, a friend who was watching asked, “Are you going to get your AK-47 now?”

On another occasion, a card filled with hateful written comments was found.

Some students said they recalled anti-Islamic jokes made by their friends that they laughed off, as well as discussions with fellow students about why it is “okay” to label Muslims as terrorists.

“This recent spread of Islamophobia is extremely troubling, and it frustrates and frightens me that people think ‘my type’ don’t belong in this country,” said Sumaiya Hashmi CM ’13.

The controversial Park51 would be located two blocks from the space where the World Trade Center once stood. According to Park51’s official website, the center’s mission would be to build an interfaith community and create dialogue among people of all faiths. The community center would include social spaces such as recreational and childcare facilities, restaurants, and a prayer space. A 9/11 memorial would also be included and open to the public.

The debates surrounding the community center have resulted in a reported rise of anti-Islamic sentiments. This culminated in Florida Pastor Terry Jones proposing a Koran burning this summer. This proposal never came to fruition, but since then, more minor incidents have been reported.

Those protesting the construction of the community center say their opposition is not based on bigotry, but rather the location of the building. Supporters of the center argue that religious freedom would be stripped away from a group of people if construction were halted.

However, another 5-C Muslim student who preferred to remain anonymous felt the controversy has gone too far.

“Personally, I feel since the whole incident has been blown so much out of proportion by now, Muslims should take the higher ground and move the construction site, but this is just my opinion and most U.S. Muslims would probably not agree with me,” the student said.

According to another student, her support of the center’s construction is based more in supposed American values rather than her own faith.

“Even if I weren’t Muslim, I would permit it to be built because this country promises freedom of religion,” she said.

One student said it is the public’s overall reaction to Islam and Muslims that have pained him, rather than specific reactions to the construction of the community center. Other Muslim students agreed that it has been difficult being such a small minority of the overall student body at the 5Cs.

“The biggest problem for me has been the lack of other Muslim students,” Hashmi said. “We do have a small but active Muslim Student Association, which receives a lot of welcome support from the administration, faculty, and staff at the colleges.”

One of the anonymous students held a different view on the schools’ administration and the Muslim Students Association.

“We had some difficulty obtaining funds for the MSA,” the student said. “I wish the schools were more generous in giving us funds so that we could host more events and activities.”

Students had several suggestions to increase campus awareness about Muslim students and Islam. For example, the colleges “should adopt a Muslim day, or something of that order, similar to Gaypril [or] Hispanic Heritage month,” one of the students said.

A few students suggested that the 5Cs could do a better job of recruiting Muslim students. Hashmi said she feels as though she is missing out on a larger support network, such as might be found at University of California institutions.

Yet, despite reports of growing Islamophobia that has followed the controversy, most of the students reported positive experiences at the 5Cs, especially with friends, staff, and faculty.

“My experiences at the colleges have generally been good,” Hashmi said. “I have encountered a few cases of misinformation which suggested that Muslims are a foreign curiosity to some people. Overall, though, people have been well-intentioned and open to learning more.”

“If I were to list all the good things that happened, I would run out of Gmail space,” another student said.

Reactions to the construction have made the issue go beyond the center itself—it is now about the feelings, some very hateful, that the American public has expressed against a group of people, many of the students said. However, one of the students interviewed expressed hope.

“This is just a phase that the Muslims are going through now, and in the long run, things will work out better for the Muslims, insha’Allah [God willing],” the student said.