His office at NAU is adorned with Marine Corps memorabilia and items representing military service. He said he also will conduct his daily prayers in that office.

“I get asked how I can be an American and a veteran and a Marine and a Muslim,” he said. “I’m not a terrorist. I love my country and I’m proud of my service in the Marines.”

Cersosimo said he has not had any students tell him they felt threatened or intimidated because of their faith, but said he does caution students to be aware of their own safety. Many Muslim NAU students are also international students, who travel around the United States while they are studying. Even though he has not heard of any threatening language in Flagstaff, he tells them to be smart and secure while traveling.

ACCEPTING AND CURIOUS

International student Arifin Bakti is a practicing Muslim from Indonesia, and said he and his family have not encountered any animosity while living in Flagstaff. He said his children often get questions about their faith at school, but other students are accepting and curious about the religion.

However, he said his children have asked him about recent terrorist attacks with claims to the Muslim faith, like the attack in San Bernardino and the attempted attack in Texas.