Editor's Note: This article is the first of two that look at the attitudes of young Muslims toward Islam. The second looks at young Muslim women in the Middle East.Twenty-year-old Ahlam Shalabi could be the poster girl for young American Muslims. Shalabi is a college student three days a week at San Diego State University, an officer in her school's Muslim Student Union (MSA), a volunteer youth leader at a local mosque, and a full-time devout Muslim. She represents a new consciousness emerging among young American Muslims nationwide, one fueled by pride in Islam. "I started wearing hijab [headscarf] about one year ago," said Shalabi, whose parents are Palestinians. "I grew up in a very typical Arabic household where culture outweighed religion as far as an emphasis on its traditions are concerned. Therefore I had very little knowledge about my religion."
Young American Muslims Seek Identity in Islam
