By Samantha McCoy Staff writer
A new organization called the Muslim Students Association has begun meeting on campus this semester. General meetings are held Fridays at 5 p.m. in the basement of the GO house.
Current members have keycard access to the building and will open the door for new members coming for the first time.
The goals of the organization are to provide a safe space for Muslim students on campus as well as provide education for those interested, according to club president Faisal Al Yousif and treasurer Basil Mokhallalati.
“In hard times when we have a leader who is threatening safety, it’s nice to have this space,” Mokhallalati said. The executive board for the association is still working on the club’s set-up, according to Al Yousif.
Al Yousif added that after the executive board presents to SGA, the club will concentrate on planning potential events for next semester.
“We are still establishing the club, so we haven’t made it to the next step, but we are more than welcome to answer any questions or talk about the club,” he continued.
“I think it’s difficult to create an official organization,” Mokhallalati said.
He added: “Because you have to have that need for it. Because we are a minority population on this campus, in order to make the club successful, we have to get people involved.”
Director of Jewish life on campus Eli Bass is the advisor for the organization.“Part of mine and Chaplain Scott Kershner’s concern even as I started my job was that there were concerns about having a Muslim community on campus,” Bass said.
He added, “Ultimately for Scott and I, both of us had a concern that these students were not getting served, and one of my things was to go out and spend the time to know Muslim students, grow relationships and think about how we have a community. It really started with the principle of saying that it’s important to spend time together.”
Bass added that he and Kershner held a meeting with Muslim students about potentially starting a club and that several students rose to the occasion as a result.
“At the beginning of this year there was a desire to do something for Eid,” he said, speaking about a holiday celebrated by the Muslim community at the end of Ramadan.
He added, “There was a push to have a student-organized group in charge about how we would celebrate Eid on campus. From some of that process and thinking we got to the point where those students wished to be organized a bit more, and so we started with regular get-togethers on how to do that.”
“Eli has always wanted this to come to life but was missing the student compassion together,” Mokhallalati said. “When exec came together, Eli had done so much of the work, all we had to do was promise to keep it forward.”
Both club members and Bass have expressed that having the meetings on Friday has already begun to bring students together.
“One of the events we had a few weeks back, we had [a Susquehanna] student who wanted to have his birthday and share with everyone else at this social event, and we had a wonderful time,” Al Yousif said. “The club is building itself by the members we have; it’s good that we have members who want to share their birthday, so the club is more socialized in that way.”
“One of my big goals in the group, in addition to all the other things Basil and Faisal said, I think overall for me it’s serving the community,” Bass said. “About what it means to give Muslim students a space to connect with others who share their identity, and to have the option to pray or do other things as a community.”
The executive board expressed that the club is completely open to everyone regardless of religious beliefs or any other factors.
“There’s no criteria that you have to be in the Muslim community,” Mokhallalati said. “It’s just an opportunity to show the love of the community with others.”
“I would say and speak for my students is that they really enjoy when their friends come out to support what they’re doing, and that’s appreciated,” Bass added.
He added, “Having a diversity of religious experiences and communities on campus strengthens who we are as a campus.”
