When a Muslim a North American university or college for the first time, he or she comes into contact with a community whose culture and lifestyle are diametrically opposed to the Islamic way of life. The culture of Western universities can only be described as hedonistic, nihilistic and narcissistic. That is to say, many inhibitions are let loose and individual whims and fancies run wild. This sets the stage for the school year. On any given school day, a student can choose to go to class, sleep in and skip the whole day, drink, party, or study, all depending on how he or she feels at that moment.
Individual desires become the first priority and everything else takes a back seat.
The uncontested reign of individualism is also reflected in the values promoted by student councils and governments. All lifestyles, especially those furthest from religion, are promoted. Homosexuality is something to be proud of and promoted as a viable alternative. In the university community therefore, the self is god, and everyone loves this god and engages in daily worship, and obeys the laws that this god creates, and everyone adjusts as these laws change on a daily basis. Into this atmosphere arrives the Muslim, who may or may not be practicing Islaam to the best of their ability.