Muslim students flourish at American university

This month Muslims celebrate Ramadan, which is a time of fasting from dawn until sunset, and praying up to 12 times per day. For many Muslim students who are living in the U.S., this may be their first year celebrating Ramadan away from their families. However, a number of learners enjoy sharing this aspect of their culture with American friends.

For example, Adwan Alanazi, a Muslim student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) from Saudi Arabia, has taken the opportunity to explain the holiday to his fellow classmates, KansasCity.com reports.

Although Alanazi must fast during the day, he often shares a traditional Saudi meal with his friends at night. According to the news source, he is one of nearly 100 Saudi Arabian students at UMKC, which is the fastest growing international group on campus.

As often as seven days a week, Alanazi gets together in his apartment in south Kansas City with groups of college friends to discuss politics, religion, language and relationships.

"We just started talking and found out we have a lot in common," Russell Savage, Alanazi's friend, told KansasCity.com. "He is teaching me Arabic."

Despite cultural differences, most international students engage socially with native and non-native learners.

A growing number of global scholars are studying in the U.S., as a total of 671,616 international students were enrolled at American universities during the 2008-2009 academic year, according to the Institute of International Education.