Though it's impossible to define any religion in just a few lines, here's a brief primer:

-Muslims believe that Islam is a faith that has always existed and was gradually revealed to humanity by a number of prophets. However, the final and complete revelation of the faith was made through the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century CE. During the last 22 years of his life, beginning at age 40, Muhammad reported revelations that he believed to be from God conveyed to him through the archangel Gabriel. Muhammad's companions memorized and recorded the content of these revelations, known as the Qur'an.

-Muslims are expected to follow five basic acts - the pillars of Islam - that are considered obligatory for all believers. They are (1) the creed which says "I testify that there is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God," (2) daily prayers, (3) almsgiving, (4) fasting during Ramadan and (5) the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime.

-The religion is divided into two major branches - Sunni and Shia. While the two groups share the most fundamental Islamic beliefs, their division dates back to Muhammad's death and the question of who was to take over the leadership of the Muslim nation.

-Islam is now the second most popular religion on the planet with more than a billion followers. According to the Pew Research Center in the US, lslam is the world's fastest-growing faith and will leap from 1.6 billion (in 2010) to 2.76 billion by 2050.

Ataur Rahman, 23, is from Bangladesh and an undergraduate student in the Electrical Engineering Department. He says the nature of his faith is partly revealed by how Muslims greet each other: "When we meet another Muslim we say 'asalaam alaykum' (peace be upon you, ed.). We start our day with peace and most of the time, I do find peace in practicing this religion. Islam directs me to the proper way of life. It shows me the right path."

Mahmood Mirzakhalili, 22, of Tehran, Iran is a master's student in the Mechanical Engineering Department and thinks philosophically about Islam's troubled image in the West. "Any religion is neither peaceful nor violent - it's the people that bring that to the religion. There are a lot of good Muslims but you don't see them because they don't get media coverage."

"I wanted to be free"

One of Islam's most problematic images is one of extreme inequality between the sexes. Whether it's the wearing of a burka or ISIS's manifesto stating that women should work outside the house only in "exceptional circumstances", many non-Muslims might wonder why the faith so severely subjugates its women. However, all is not what it seems - the topic of equality is a hotly-debated subject within the religion itself and forms part of the struggle between fundamentalist rigidity and a pluralist, inclusive faith.

Before coming to the Netherlands, Jumana Mundichipparakkal also strove to free herself from what was expected of her as a woman. "I used to dream of doing simple things like biking or running but that wasn't allowed in my home. I wanted to be free. I've been away from home since I was 15, studying in different places. My parents have had to answer people's questions: why are you sending her there? Aren't you afraid that she'll be over-qualified for a girl?"

Mahmood Mirzakhalili explains one aspect of Islam that's considered by many non-Muslims to be anti-woman: "Do you know why the Prophet said men could have four wives? You have to look at the historical context of when the Qur'an was written. At that time, war had killed many men and boys and the Prophet was trying to protect women and children from being left alone without anyone to take care of them."

Ataur Rahman explains the perspective of Islamic fundamentalists further: "The way they interpret the Qur'an is different than how we interpret it. In Christianity, you also have people who interpret the Bible more literally. We have that, too."

Islam and TU/e

Mahmood Mirzakhalili consciously chose the Netherlands for his studies. "I first chose this country and then looked for the university I wanted to attend. I find that the Dutch are very open people and they don't really hold anything against you unless you're bothering them." Ataur Rahman agrees. "The people here are open-minded. They might have criticisms (of Islam, ed.) in their mind but they don't actually stop you from practicing the religion. This culture might be a bit atheistic and you might feel uncomfortable discussing religion, but they certainly don't restrict you from doing what you want."

Though Rahman is generally happy with his life at TU/e, he does level one criticism at the university. "In Islam, men and women are not allowed to pray together. The university provides us with a "silent room" (a place where any student can pray or meditate, ed.), but there's only one room. There used to be two. TU/e should try its best to accommodate various cultural needs to further strengthen its international outlook."

Jumana Mundichipparakkal looks around her at the university and wonders why she doesn't see more Dutch women on campus. "In India, many girls aren't encouraged to go further with a technical education. I see Dutch women being so free and it's so sad to me that there are so few women studying technology. It would be nice for TU/e to take more steps in getting girls into technology. I would like to be a part of that."