Toufiq Khan calls himself an average American who sticks to his culture and religion. When not studying for classes, he likes to hang out with his friends, work out at the gym, and surf the Internet. But every Friday at noon, he trades his urban-style clothing for Islamic white garb as he enters the Islamic Center on Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa. There, he sits on the floor and listens as the imam, Dr. Said Mansoor, talks about the true meaning on the Hajj (the rite of pilgrimage of Mecca required to followers of Islam).

 Khan, 18, is one of a handful of SRJC students who worships at the Santa Rosa mosque. Like them, his life is a balance between being a typical young American college student and a practicing Muslim.

 Khan came to the United States from Pakistan with his parents when he was 7 and became a naturalized citizen two years ago. He has lived in Santa Rosa since coming to the U.S.

 “The weather’s perfect here,” he said. “Everything’s nice here.”

 Still, Khan maintains a strong connection to the culture of Pakistan and his religion, and incorporates it into his identity.

 “It makes me who I am,” he says. To him, Islam is his guide to living life. “It affects my life. It makes me stay in the right path.”

 Khan said that before Sept. 11, 2001, relations between the Muslim community and the general public was relatively peaceful. After the terrorist attacks, the Muslim community became targets of anti-Islamic violence and harassment.

Khan rarely experienced harassment because he can “blend in” in with general society, but often thinks about those who choose to wear traditional Muslim clothing and face anti-Islamic harassment. His mother wears the traditional women’s headscarf, or the Hijab, in public.

“I have to go with her in case something happens and I’m there for her,” he said.

On rare occasions he faced negative reactions from people who found out he is Muslim. He had been called a “terrorist” a few times and was never sure when the taunts serious or jokes. Still, he doesn’t let them bother him.

“I know who I am, and I’m not that type of person,” he said. “But for the most part I don’t think about it. There’s just no point getting depressed about it.”

Khan said that all the anti-Islamic sentiment comes from people’s ignorance, and that the perpetuation of negative stereotypes and misinformation in the media gives Muslims a bad image. He believes reaching out and teaching the public about Islam is key to improving relations with the general public.

“It’s not all about war or violence,” he says. “Just read about it. Go talk to someone who knows the religion.”

Dr. Mansoor also sees that exposure to mainstream American society and letting people get to know Muslims on a personal level is important.

“It’s when people get past what they’ve been told on TV and actually get to know us do we see negative and false perception disappear,” he said.

Still, Khan hasn’t experienced any sort of harassment while studying at SRJC.

“Everybody here is very understanding,” he says. “Over here people are interested at who you are and what type of person you are. They just want to get to know you.”

Khan plans to transfer to UC Davis or UC San Francisco as a pre-med student, and hopefully attend medical school. He wants to become a cardiologist, because he is interested in treating heart disease, the number one killer of Americans.

“I love cardiology,” he says. “I love how it all makes sense to me.”

For now, Khan continues to live life balancing his young American life and his strong religious beliefs. All he wants, he says, is to work on having a better life.

“You gotta stick to your religion. Apply it to modern life,” he says.