Manal Fanik is a freshman product design major at Montclair State University. To people peering in from the outside, she’s outgoing, funny and extremely confident. You can’t be in a room with Manal and not burst out laughing at everything she says.
However, Manal is more spiritual and religious than people make her out to be. While she is charismatic and energetic, Manal has a strong faith that she has made sure to not let go of while attending a university.
What’s your religion? What does that religion believe in?
“I am a Greek Orthodox Christan. Greek Orthodox Christians are very similar to the other branches of Christianity. We believe that God came to this earth in Jesus Christ and that Jesus was fully human and fully the holy spirit. We believe in the incarnation of Christ, his crucifixion and resurrection.”
What are your experiences like within that faith?
“I’ve had only positive experiences within my religion and the different churches I have been to. My family is always involved in church and so we get to help out whenever needed.
I’ve also had the opportunity to go to a church camp over the past two summers, and it has been nothing but sharing the love of Christ and building loving and long-lasting relationships. The best part about it is that it wasn’t just Christians who attended, there were Jewish and Muslim people too.”
How do you practice your religion?
“I try my best to go to church and attend all the vespers and services they offer. I have a Bible study with my friend every two weeks where we read the Bible together and go over any questions we have and discuss what we believe in. She’s Protestant, so we go over our different beliefs and whatnot.”
What kind of beliefs do you have due to being brought up this way?
“I’ve always known what the church believed in, but I have formed my own beliefs and thoughts based on my own life experiences as well as the way I interpret the Bible.”
How do you stay close to your faith during your time at college?
“I try my best to pray in the morning and night for a little. I remember that it’s okay for me to question my faith at times and doubt it. In the end, that’s how I grow closer to it.”
You lived in Jordan for many years, how is that different from America?
“The thing that was most different and challenging for me was just the language barrier.”
What was it like adjusting to American society at the beginning of high school?
“It was very different from over there. Coming from a Jordanian all-girls school, I had to adjust to school being in English and how differently people acted.”
What advice do you want to tell others struggling with keeping their faith during college?
“Pretty much just stay away from bad influences, and never forget you’re allowed to be different than everyone else. Stay true to yourself.”
What stereotypes do you want to break about religious people? Is it hard seeing religious hate groups come to campus and spew their hate in the name of God?
“I understand that there are people who have really strong beliefs and are very passionate about them. Though, in my opinion, having these strong beliefs does not make it okay to use your religion as a means to spread hate or to shame people because of who they are and what they believe in.”
What are some of your favorite memories of church and going to a religious camp?
“One night for church, we had a sleepover with the teen group, and it was just really fun sharing our personal experiences about our faith, playing board games and just talking the whole night. The summer camp I went to was great because you get to see people come from different states and get to know so many new people.”
Young women can learn a lot from Manal and be inspired to stay true to themselves and their faith all while having the time of their lives at college.