The American Student Loan System Is Not Muslim-Friendly

In the coming days, students across America are poised to graduate from high school, and many have already jumped through hoops to figure out how to pay for college. Whether it’s close to home or on the opposite coast, one nearly universal problem facing young people hungry for the upward mobility promised by a degree is the high cost of tuition and other expenses.

Of course, there’s a uniquely American way around all of that: interest-bearing student loans. But even as student debt has surged to $1.5 trillion nationally and the larger system of how higher education is funded faces unprecedented scrutiny, the choice of whether to take on debt at all is more complicated for some than others.

That often leaves Muslim-Americans determined to pursue undergrad or graduate degrees torn between the pursuit of the American dream on one hand, and community, religious, and family tradition on the other.

It’s well known that student loans are contributing to Americans’ failure to engage in basic life activities such as starting a family and buying a house

“I feel like if there is a way to avoid interest, then take that route, even if it means a few years lost to save up,” said Ahsana Islam, 22, a recent college graduate from Bridgeview, Illinois, who was mulling pursuit of a graduate degree. “It’s a thought in the back of my head, that I need to save what I can and actively search for scholarship opportunities. Is your career worth a spot in hell? That is what keeps resonating with me.”

But few prominent institutions have addressed the lack of alternatives for Muslims who feel religiously restricted from these loans in the first place. That can affect students’ day-to-day lives, not just in terms of what school or career they choose, but how they survive in the meantime.

“I was sharing a room with two other adult siblings and wanted to move out for school [due to limited space],” said Taaha Rahman, a 24-year-old from Chicago who studied nursing. “But moving out would mean more expenses-and I did not want to take out loans for that.”