KALAMAZOO, MI –– For years, Mustafi Al-Garawi was just a number on the football field.

But now, he’s got a name –– and a bigger purpose, too.

Proudly honoring his heritage, the Western Michigan defensive tackle is believed to have made history late last month –– becoming the first NCAA student-athlete to display his family name in Arabic on his jersey in the Broncos’ season opening loss to Michigan State on Aug. 29.

“I’ve never had a last name on my jersey until I got here but as an individual, it adds more to why I do it,” said Al-Garawi, a redshirt senior transfer from East Tennessee State. “It gives me more of a purpose. I want to change the narrative of my people and the Muslim religion in America. I think it’s really important to represent it in the best way that I can.”

After a year away from football, and a new change of scenery, Al-Garawi felt moved to display his surname –– Achome –– for the first and final time in his college football career this summer. Western Michigan officials fully supported his decision, allowing for a Kalamazoo seamstress to work up the stitching on his jersey.

Achome is displayed on his jersey, but Al-Garawi reflects his clan name.

“It was a resounding yes, and everybody was really on board,” Western Michigan football coach Lance Taylor said. “We wanted to be able to make it happen because I think for him to represent his last name, his family and tradition was very important to him. If it’s important to our players, it’s important to me.”

In a sport where names and numbers define players, Al-Garawi’s choice is a historic statement, one that he hopes can not only change the perception of his culture but also be a beacon of representation for his country.

All in a positive manner.

“People hear your story, and they encourage you to be you,” Al-Garawi said. “I think that’s a big point in being yourself every day. They (WMU) allowed me to represent my true Arabic last name, which is a huge honor.”

According to a story by The Detroit News, two other college football players had display their name in a different language on their jersey, including Notre Dame’s Charles Du (2024) and Arizona State’s Jackson He (2020), both of which were presented in Chinese. Du and He were both born in China but only displayed their names for one game.

Al-Garawi intends to sport his family name for all of 2025.

“Family has been everything to me,” said Al-Garawi, 22. “I’m a proud Iraqi American and a proud Muslim.”

The journey

Al-Garawi was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and moved to Tennessee as a young child. He’d grow up in Pigeon Forge, where he quickly became a standout in wrestling and football.

None of it would have been possible without his father’s bravery.

Rashid Al-Garawi, a native of Iraq, was a rebel against his own country under Saddam Hussein’s rule and helped American forces in the buildup to the Second Gulf War in the early 2000s. Rashid fled his own country and spent six years in Saudi Arabi with other rebels before the United Nations granted him citizenship to America.

“He was younger than I am right now back then and fighting for what he believed in,” Mustafi said. “He was blessed to come to America and after I was born, my mother had some family in Tennessee, so we threw everything into a 1998 Dodge Caravan and drove across the country. I grew up in Tennessee, that’s all I know.”

After growing up in an Iraqi Muslim household, Mustafi said it was a shock to attend school in Pigeon Forge.

“You’re thrown into a whole new culture and it was very challenging,” he said. “But I embraced it and I was really lucky to have a support staff with my family, cousins and other Iraqi members that were in my school that made the transition easy for me. But when I got into middle and high school, that’s when I really started to develop an understanding of who I am.”

It’s also when Mustafi was introduced to football.

Growing up with three brothers and being “too smart” for his own good, football was an outlet for Mustafi at the right time. He became a first team all-state selection in football and won two individual and state championships in wrestling.

“I had a bunch of anger problems growing up but football was a way to let it out and not get in trouble for it,” Mustafi said. “I just fell in love with it and I loved the competitive nature of it. It helped me get more confident in my physical self, and I’ve just stuck with it, and it’s changed my life.”

His coach has been inspired by his journey.

“For him to be the type of person that he is, with all the things that he’s had to overcome, really speaks to his character and who he is as a person,” Taylor said. “It really makes you want to be a better person when you see somebody like that. All the things that he’s been through, and he still brings that positive attitude, it’s just a great example for all of us.”

Faith and the Broncos

Mustafi spent three seasons at East Tennessee State, where he appeared in 17 games and made 18 total tackles –– including playing in a career-high 11 games in 2023. He finished with two sacks that season before taking a season off to focus on his finishing his degree in 2024.

That allowed Mustafi to deepen his faith.

“I’ve been getting really close to my faith and my culture now more than ever,” he said. “I felt like God led me here (to WMU).”

With three degrees and an acceptance into dental school, Mustafi was granted a hardship with one final year of collegiate football. He said playing for Western Michigan has allowed him to be his true self.

“Everything is different –– the coaches, staff members, athletic director, everyone is person first and authority second,” Mustafi said. “In the south, there’s a heavy culture of authority and less caring about the person you are and more caring about the title. Coming here, I’ve matured a lot from the time I was 18 and I just took all my past experiences, and it’s helped me develop a better relationship with my coaches.”

Bringing a positive attitude and infectious energy to WMU, Taylor said Mustafi is one of the team’s biggest encouragers.

“He’s a great teammate, he’s a great person and he’s always got a smile on his face,” Taylor said. “I think he’s loved a lot by his teammates because of who he is and he’s the same guy every single day. He comes in with a great attitude, he works hard, and he’s a great encourager. He’s one of those guys that always picks other people up and I think that was one of the first things that stuck out to me.”

‘Time for my play to stick out’

Mustafi has received plenty of attention from the public eye for his nameplate, both positive and negative.

But through it all, he’s aiming to inspire.

“There’s been a bunch of Middle Eastern people that have followed me and asked me if I could get a jersey,” he said. “Where I’m from, some people are scared and embarrassed to represent the heritage because they get bullied for it and hear things on the media that stray them away from who they really are. They’re afraid to speak the way we speak or eat the food we eat. God wants you to not fear judgement other than him and I’m just trying to be a good example and inspire people to be themselves.”

Being a part of a defensive line that boasts seven sacks through two games, Mustafi has been thrust into a larger role in recent weeks and flexes six tackles –– including four alone against North Texas.

With his new nameplate, Mustafi says he’s not just aiming to change the narrative of his culture, he’s trying to set an example with his family name.

While making a name for himself on the field, too.

“When they saw that I changed (my name), they were all really excited,” Mustafi said. “They don’t know football so when they watch, they just try to look for me and it makes it a lot easier when they can read my last name. But I’m going to embrace being who I am as a player and start balling out because when people watch me, they know who I am from my number and my jersey sticking out.

“It’s time for my play to stick out.”

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