The Review

Issue date: 4/10/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Courtesy of Anzu Ahmad Senior Anzhu Ahmad, middle, with Mu'adhin and the imam at a mosque in Sfax, Tunisia.

A November 2005 headshot of Drew Marshall shows a boyish young man in transition. A wide smile and tasseled, chestnut hair offset the maturity of his sharp jawlines and strong chin. Clean-cut and clad in a blue striped shirt and silver tie, Marshall cheerfully poses as if he is on his way to a semi-formal dance or awards ceremony - nothing out of the ordinary for a handsome college student.

Fast-forward to the summer of 2006. Candid pictures of Marshall depict the rising university senior at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. He stands 50 feet away from a capsized luxury sailboat and sports a playfully knowing smirk. Though he has aged just six months, these shots reveal a different side of Marshall. His face seems drawn and weathered; instead of fleshy pink and freshly-shaven cheeks, he has sprouted thin sideburns that connect a patchy goatee and mustache over his taut skin.

Tunisia, January, 2007. Far removed from his Wilmington home, Drew Marshall is in a distinctly transformed world. It is in this sun-soaked strip of paradise called Sfax that Marshall, now going by the name Anzhu Ahmad, hopes to capture his true visage. A photo of Ahmad shows him once again flashing his toothy grin, but this time he is perched on a rug in the middle of a mosque. Clutching two frail men by the shoulders, known as Mu'adhin and Imam, he seems comfortable in this element. Ahmad is beaming with a happiness not seen in previous pictures.

He still has his facial hair, only now it is thicker, darker and more intricately styled - sure signs that the sideburns have grown up along with the man.



Ahmad has led a proud Muslim life for the past two years. Though the time in which he has been exposed to his new religion is limited, he has embraced the Arabic language and culture. nd the typical Islamic greeting of "salaamu alaikum" - "peace be upon you" - comes as easily now as "hello." As a recent convert to the Islamic faith, which has 6 million followers nationwide, the political science and international relations major is one of hundreds of campus students balancing a life of academic achievement and devout religious adherence. For Ahmad and the other 30-plus members of the Muslim Student Association, pursuing both academics and religion in the university's homogeneous environment is not always an easy feat.

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