Muslim chaplain has helped guide, grow community

When Numan Dugmeoglu arrived at Cornell in November of 2023 to serve as the university's Muslim chaplain, he joined a community in transition.

The university's first Muslim chaplain, Yasin Ahmed, had departed in August of 2022, after five years in the chaplaincy. Without a leader for more than a year, the burden of programming - both social and spiritual - to engage and support Cornell's Muslim community fell to students.

Enter Dugmeoglu. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he learned to navigate generational and cultural differences as a first-generation American. He graduated from Drexel University, a school without a Muslim chaplaincy, in 2016 and, like the students he now counsels, he has experienced ups and downs along his spiritual journey.

"Everything is about love and service," Dugmeoglu said. "My door is open to anyone from any faith who is on a journey toward connection with a higher power. We want to cultivate an environment that makes space for everyone's identity and personal experience."

Since Dugmeoglu's arrival, which has fostered consistency and greater visibility in Cornell's Muslim community, the number of congregants attending weekly Friday prayers has steadily grown - from an average of 100 attendees last year to more than 200 in the fall semester. Dugmeoglu hosts two weekly religious discussions, including a book club that focuses on critical topics and issues facing the Muslim community.

His office provides spiritual guidance and pastoral care to 10 to 15 Cornell community members each week. Dugmeoglu also serves as an adviser to Muslim student organizations like the Muslim Educational and Cultural Association's (MECA) and the Pan-African Muslim Student Association (PAMSA).

Students quickly took notice of Dugmeoglu's advocacy and leadership, said Laila Salih '25, MECA president. "To have a chaplain who can not only provide logistical support, but advocate for the resources we need and who is also always open and ready to talk to you and affirm you, is invaluable," she said.

One of those needs was physical space. Previously, the sixth floor of Willard Straight Hall served as home base for the Diwan Center for Muslim Life at Cornell. While there were prayer spaces located in Anabel Taylor Hall, the chaplain's office was tucked away on the other side of the building.

Today - following conversations last year with Joel Harter, associate dean of students and director of the Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making and Cornell United Religious Work, regarding the future of Anabel Taylor Hall - there are separate prayer spaces for men and women adjacent to Dugmeoglu's new office on the third floor. There's also a large community space where students can study, work and connect, and a designated ablution station - where people can prepare for prayer.

"In the past, the prayer rooms were often very removed from the chaplain's office," Dugmeoglu said. "We also didn't have a communal space where we could have discussions and classes, or a general space for ritual practice that can accommodate more than 10 people."

'A voice'

Students say the changes have helped the chaplaincy gain visibility within the community.

"A lot of things have gotten more centralized so they're easier to access and I think our community is growing because people can find the resources a little bit more," said Zainab Talha '27, a fellow MECA executive board member. "But I think one of the biggest things we got from Chaplain Numan's arrival was a voice."

Dugmeoglu has used that voice to not only address a lack of communal space, but to advocate for policies that ensure student success. Last fall, Dugmeoglu held two sessions with the Office of Faculty Development and Diversity on the importance of religious accommodations. Meetings were held with Harter and Rabbi Talia Laster from Cornell Hillel.

"Rites and rituals feed into one's sense of wellness," Dugmeoglu said. "People use faith as a coping mechanism for the hardships and stressors of life, and anxiety that might come with being at a prestigious institution like Cornell. If students are allowed the space to fulfill their rites, rituals and obligations, it creates positive feedback within themselves."

In addition to hosting workshops, Dugmeoglu fields individual faculty questions regarding accommodations, works with students to help draft requests and helps to facilitate conversations with professors. Dugmeoglu envisions an expansion of halal options and access to prayer spaces across campus, and additional education around the impact of fasting on Muslim students during Ramadan, and the timing of academic obligations that conflict with Friday prayer.

"Chaplain Numan has been a wonderful addition to our multifaith community, supporting Muslim students and collaborating with the Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making and other affiliated chaplains to support spiritual well-being and interfaith programming," Harter said.

To Talha, Dugmeoglu's work has helped students focus on other important aspects of their Cornell experience.

"In high school it was always my job to ask the teacher if there was a space I could pray," Talha said. "But just having someone voice that for us removes that burden and has given us the ability to focus on our academics. Instead of individually advocating for ourselves, there's someone who has built relationships with administration, given us some legitimacy and has become a trusted liaison."

While some students may reach out to Dugmeoglu for guidance in times of crises, others, like Talha, have taken advantage of the opportunity to further their religious education and make sense of their place and purpose.

"Spirituality and religion are such a big part of identity that having a trusted individual that engages that part of me is very important," Talha said. "Many students really learn who they are because you have more independence and autonomy, but there's spiritual difficulties and struggles with so many changes happening at once."

The ability to serve as a trusted companion for students navigating a critical, at times rocky, transitional phase of their lives motivates Dugmeoglu to continue to uplift Cornell's Muslim community and improve on the foundation and legacy built by Salih, Talha and others.

"Oftentimes, we're at odds with ourselves and don't know who we are. We have trouble with our self-esteem, our self-worth and our direction in life," Dugmeoglu said. "It's important to create a safe environment for people to ask questions, learn and grow in a space that allows them to discover themselves."

Ben Badua is a creative content manager for Student and Campus Life.

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