Muslim Student Association promotes service, understanding

Students who identify with minority groups often have difficulty reconciling that status with their everyday lives. Certain cultural norms are just expected of all people in particular situations because they apply to the majority, with the concerns and considerations regarding minority groups often being overlooked. There are many tough questions that individuals outside of these groups never have to ask themselves. But for one group, at least, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) is working to make answering those questions a little easier.

Islam is not just a faith. It's a lifestyle, complete with dietary restrictions, daily prayer requirements and standards for clothing and manner of dress. The requirements of this lifestyle can often be overlooked by the dominant culture in areas like class scheduling and event planning. MSA works to make students feel confident in their traditions and beliefs by coordinating events which address their needs.

When planning their events, MSA looks at what other clubs are doing around NC State and puts their vision through a Muslim lens, asking the tough questions which those groups might not have considered. For instance, how can a soup kitchen cater to Muslim dietary needs?

Fri Momin, the president of MSA and a fourth-year studying cognitive neuroscience and developmental psychology, described the club's process as "inward and outward."

"If we take things from other organizations or things that are going on in the world, we’ll apply them to our students, and then take the identities of our students and apply them outwards, also," Momin said.

Inayyanoor Jawad, the service chair for MSA and a second-year studying business administration, said that the service portion of the club focuses not just on doing good for the community, but also expanding upon the experiences of members and non-members with which it works.

"A lot of the events that I do are focused on getting different religious clubs and even cultural clubs together," Jawad said. "…And that really allows for all the students to meet new people, gain different perspectives [and] understand different types of religions and cultures. And that’s a big part of diversity: understanding everyone and being more open-minded."

However, the club doesn't only work to create a space for Muslim activism. A big part of their advocacy is within the Muslim community, exploring issues which Muslim students uniquely deal with every day.

Hanadi Ibrahim, the outreach chair and a second-year studying medical textiles, said that she works to break down stigmas surrounding and within the religion of Islam.

"I approach stigmas within and also outside the Muslim community, and what it means to be Muslim," Ibrahim said. "I’m currently planning a couple of events related to what it means to have the intersections of being a black Muslim… Being a Muslim is very diverse, and it’s not even in terms of race. Even in terms of what you’re studying, there’s a lot of stigmas in the Muslim community in going towards art. And so, kind of extending that, you can still express your religion through who you are and what you like to do."

Momin said that the focus on Muslim students' personal health is new for MSA. The club has been in existence since the '70s, but traditionally addressed more general issues.

"A lot of our movement has been toward social justice, and the incorporation of it in America and the world as a whole," Momin said. "…Traditionally, it was very much focused on 'what is Islam to students,' and not so much of 'what does it mean to be a Muslim student' — probably a person of color, probably somebody struggling with their faith in a predominantly Christian area. What does that mean, and how do you apply that to your everyday life?"

One immediate difference the club has made for Muslim students on campus is the reservation of multiple spaces for daily prayer. There are rooms now in Talley Student Union, D.H. Hill Library and Witherspoon Student Center, as well as several spaces the club is still in the process of confirming on Centennial Campus.

"There have always been temporary locations around campus, and this is the first year that we are trying to consolidate them all together," Momin said. "Before, we had an office space, which is not convenient, because the office space was always in use, and so we would ask students to leave the space, come in the space, and that would happen multiple times a day. So, it’s nice to have that reservation."

While students do not have to pay dues to become members, the club does put 100 percent of its membership dues back into experiences for students and their own personal growth. Paid members receive T-shirts, access to a letter from the club's alumni detailing professional development opportunities and major discounts on the club's socials and retreats, such as their upcoming trip to Washington, D.C. next spring.

General Body Meetings, or GBMs, occur every other Friday, staggered with executive board meetings, where board members come together to plan events. GBMs are highly interactive and seek to deliver a learning experience for members, complete with speakers from the community. While they do promote upcoming events and review logistics with members, that only constitutes about 10 minutes of the meeting.

"Our GBMs don't run like normal meetings," Momin said. "The meeting is literally a ‘come attend the speaker’ event. You’re going to learn, there’s going to be interaction; the first 10 minutes are probably the actual meeting, then the rest of that is, we are here to give you the experience."

MSA works to find answers to tough questions every day by granting new experiences not just to its members, but to those of the community at NC State and beyond. Keep tabs on their progress by following their Twitter or Instagram @NCSUMSA or on Facebook @MSAatNCState.