More universities added Muslim chaplains post 9/11. Then came 10/7.

(RNS) — Saarah Abdul-Maajid chose to study at Rutgers University, in large part because she knew it had a Muslim chaplain and a Muslim center on campus where she would feel supported and valued.

A junior majoring in political science, she said she now spends at least part of each school day at the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University, located in the heart of the New Brunswick, New Jersey, campus. She takes a noncredit class on Islamic teachings with the chaplain there and usually finds a quiet nook to study. Many of her friends hang out there, and recently she has volunteered to be the center’s marketing intern.

“As Muslims, we’re very proud of our identities,” said Abdul-Maajid, 20. “Almost every other culture and religion seems to have their own spaces, and I can say we definitely have now, too.”

Shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, universities across the country began to reckon with Muslim students in their midst, and within a decade, dozens, including Rutgers and all eight Ivy League Schools, added full-time Muslim chaplains to care for Muslim students. There are now 80 full time Muslim chaplains on college campuses across the country, and some have…