The Muslim Student Association (MSA) meets every Friday at lunch in Room 332. Composed of approximately 50 members and supervised by Ms. Alam, MSA aims to unify the Muslim community and achieve goals that pertain to Muslim values. This year, their theme is creating a culture of giving.
During meetings, members play games related to their topic of discussion. MSA also talks about religious responsibilities and spreads awareness about Islam. There are also activities that are not related to Islam so non-Muslim members can also participate.
Islamic Heritage Month in Canada is dedicated to celebrate, inform, and share the contributions by Muslims worldwide to society. In conjunction with this month’s theme, MSA held a special event during lunch on 27 October in the Galleria to raise awareness of Muslim accomplishments. Organized by Rafia Akbar, the Special Events Planner for MSA, volunteers put up posters of accomplished Muslims detailing basic information about their achievements. These posters included scholars, such as Mufti Menk and Nouman Ali Khan, famous athletes such as Muhammad Ali and Ibtihaj Muhammad, as well as young activists like Malala Yousafzai. Participants received a slip of paper with a quotation and had to figure out which famous person said which quote. Those who correctly matched all 10 people to quotes were awarded chocolate.
Members of the Muslim Student Association hosted their game in the Galleria during lunch on 27 October. Photo: Barooj Ahmed
“There was a great turnout today with many people coming down to participate.” said Gabeena Ahmad, President of the MSA. “A lot of people were surprised at how much Muslims contributed to our world today.” The MSA also began a charity initiative to raise money for an organization that will be decided later in the year. They are also hoping to host many other events in the future.
