ROCKLAND – Muslim students at Rockland Community College have opened a new center for their activities in the campus, inviting colleagues of all faiths to celebrate diversity and acceptance in the society.

“It is open to students of all faiths and backgrounds,” Sidra Ijaz, 19, of Spring Valley, who led the effort to form the center along with the new Muslim Student Association, told Lohud.com on Thursday, February 25.

“We want to educate and bring people together.”

The room, now Center for Muslim Life, was praised by college officials and students as an addition to the campus.

It is located near the college’s Christian Fellowship and Hillel chapter rooms, reflects the school’s mission to promote tolerance through education, said RCC President Cliff Wood.

“We need to live in peace with one another,” he said.

The Center for Muslim Life also reflects a general growth in Rockland’s Islamic population.

The room will service up to 2000 Muslims who attend prayers at the center’s mosque.

The number shows a huge increase from about 200 Muslim students who used to study in Rockland 20 years ago.

Ijaz said she hopes the Center for Muslim Life serves the same function at RCC.

“We want to address the misconceptions people have,” she said as she and several other young women — some wearing the hijab, others not, many dressed in green, an Islamic symbol of good luck — welcomed visitors.

Preparing the room, Muslim students added pictures of Makkah and Madinah as well as copies of the Qur’an in both Arabic and English.

The center was praised by non-Muslim students for offering them a chance to learn about the religion.

“It’s interesting to find out how other people live,” Nathan Gross, 19, who grew up attending yeshiva in Monsey, said.

Ijaz said she hopes the Center for Muslim Life educates non-Muslims and serves as support for Muslim students.

“What good is a room without students and people to use it?” she asked.