Young people find stereotypes a challenge
Posted Sunday, September 9, 2007
Ahmad (Drew) Marshall, 23, a University of Delaware senior, was introduced to Islam through a class in Islamic art. Raised a Presbyterian in Hockessin, he converted two years ago.
The News Journal/BOB HERBERT
Drew Marshall could have been any of the dozen or so university students studying and sipping coffee at a Newark cafe.
About 6 feet tall, with a close beard and a light blue shirt, not much about him stands out.
Until he offers an Arabic greeting.
Marshall, or Ahmad, as the 23-year-old white American from Hockessin now calls himself, converted to Islam two years ago.
Wearing a dress shirt and slacks, carrying his school bag like a briefcase, Marshall looks more like a member of the faculty than a college senior.
People show him more respect when he dresses this way, he says. Changing his appearance along with his name was just another way to distance himself from his old life.
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