Our take: Mustapha El Akkari has the distinction of being the first non-Mormon student body president at Brigham Young University-Hawaii: He is Muslim. However, he didn't consider himself a practicing Muslim until he started studying at BYU and credits the students with reinforcing his commitment to the Muslim faith, wanting to translate the dedication of faith he saw in the Mormon students into his own life. The Lebanon-born Akkari is now a faithful reader of the Quran and is happy to live in an 'agree-to-disagree' community with his fellow students.
Mustapha El Akkari recently became the first non-Mormon student body president at Brigham Young University-Hawaii. Interestingly, El Akkari is a Muslim who credits The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints-affiliated school with making him a better Islamic adherent.
In an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune the business management student highlighted the ways in which LDS has assisted his faith.
El Akkari, who was born in Tripoli, Lebanon, will be a senior next fall. During the interview, he shared his experience living with a Christian family in America. Additionally, he discussed the culture shock he encountered upon attending BYU, specifically when it comes to the honor code and other strict regulations.
Read more about BYU's first non-Mormon student president at TheBlaze.com.