Muslim Student Association opens new reflection space

Rasa - The Muslim Student Support Services Office (MSSS) opened in Malone 201 at the beginning of this school year, alongside the new Community Reflection Space in Malone 202.

News ID: 423958

Date: 28 September 2016 - 23:13

RNA - This is a new division of Student Affairs. The Muslim student population at LMU has grown to over 160 people over the past few years. This growth is part of what inspired the revival of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and Muslim Student Life (MSL), the new office in Malone and the implementation of the Community Reflection Space.

"Muslim students can use that for prayer, for the five daily prayers, the congregational prayer on the Friday, but then also people can use that space for silent prayer, meditation," theology professor Amir Hussain said.

The MSA wants to bring awareness to Muslim students on campus. It is important to the Muslim students on campus that students of other religions understand that they share many of the same values and college student struggles that they do.

The MSA provides more than just a support system; this student group also focuses on creating fun and sober events for all students to participate in. Last week, they organized a trip to go to Bowlero for a bowling night.

Other events planned for the semester include social events, such as more bowling nights and trips to the movies. There will also be educational events with topics like how Muslims understand the Quran and how Muslims are going to vote in the upcoming election.

The MSA strives to bridge the gap between Muslim students and non-Muslim students. A goal of this organization is to bring these students together so that they may better understand one another.

"LMU's all about social justice and education, and those two values are huge also in Islam, so I think it correlates really well with what I want to gain from earning a higher level education," Dania Fadawi, co-founder of MSA said.

MSA has expressed that the Community Reflection Space is open to all students. All people are welcome to come learn and pray in the center. The communal space provides an opportunity for solidarity and awareness of all religions present on campus.

Mustafa Yasar, a junior transfer English major and brother of the third co-founder of the MSA, says that he appreciates the inter-faith attitudes that the faculty promotes and looks forward to using the community reflection space as a convenient place to pray.

MSA and MSL hope to expand their department. They plan to do more fundraising, as well as reach out to the Muslim Community and ask for their support as a whole for the Muslim students at LMU.

According to Kienan Taweil, sophomore political science major and co-founder of MSA, MSL and MSA were not yet established his freshman year. Taweil saw a void he wanted to fill and teamed up with some of his fellow Muslim classmates he met his freshman year to create this organization. Taweil credits Hussain, faculty advisor for the MSA, for inspiring a spark in him to do something to work toward his religion after taking his First Year Seminar class last year.

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