<p>Although not technically a URM, I think that Muslims do have an ethnic/cultural/religious advantage in admissions that very few of the students themselves are aware of. </p>
<p>Islam is a hot topic in just about every academic department: music, art, architecture, history, political science, law, literature, philosophy – go through a course catalog you will see Islamic related offerings in unexpected disciplines, not just religion.</p>
<p>In that light, colleges value kids who either are Muslim themselves or have had exposure to Islamic cultures for the personal perspectives that they bring to the classroom and the community.</p>
<p>I would like to stress that Islam does not necessarily equal Arab – or Persian – or any middle eastern ethnic group. Pakistan and Bangladesh are of course Muslim majority countries, but so are some other parts of the world that are not immediately connected to Islam. Tropical Islam is culturally very different from desert Islam and in that sense students from Malay Muslim cultures can bring a good deal of unexpected diversity to the campus community.</p>