Question:
My MSA is Almost Dead: How do I revive it?
Answer:
Assalamu alaikum,
Islam is a social religion. A believer needs to be with believers to be strong in their faith, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Be with a group, and beware of remaining alone, for the Devil is close to the one alone and is more distant from two. Whoever seeks the vast expanses of Paradise should stick fast to the group." [Tirmidhi and Ahmad]
Also, Muslims need to stand up for the good and to seek the means to promote it, for Allah has made this promotion of the good the basis of the virtue of the Prophet's Community. Allah Most High says,
"And let there be among you a group who invites to goodness, enjoins the right and forbids the wrong. Such are they who are successful." [Qur'an, 3.104]
Given this, it is very important for Muslims to have a group on campus that enables Muslims to get together, support and strengthen each other, and work together to promote the good.
I asked Sr. Hadia Mubarak, the President of the Muslim Students Association of North America, and a committed student of knowledge, to give some advice onHow to Revive the MSA.
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How to revive the MSA
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In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
The most challenging task for any MSA is to first determine its focus. If your MSA is characteristic of most student organizations, there are probably a very limited number of active workers, like yourself, and you are all being pulled in many divergent directions. If there are only a handful of goals that your MSA can realistically realize this year, what would you want them to be? If your MSA is fairly new, then the first objective I would recommend is to build a support base. In order to expand the sphere of individuals who identify and care for your organization, it is essential that your MSA be 1) visible, 2) active and 3) relevant to the student body.
Visibility:There are a number of effective ways to increase your organization’s visibility. First, make sure that MSA has a booth in the university’s weekly fair/flea market/club day on campus grounds. If your university does not have an official day for student organizations to hold a booth outdoors, then consider reserving one anyhow. Many MSAs underplay the importance of having a weekly booth on campus, but this is absolutely essential. The booth is a symbolic manifestation of Islam and Muslims’ presence on campus. Whether the booth is marked by a worn-out banner imprinted with ‘Muslim Students Association’ or by free copies of Quran translations, the booth becomes the gateway through which Islam enters students’ frame of consciousness. The booth will provide an opportunity for students, student organizations, university administrators and visitors to learn about Islam and MSA. Make sure the booth is properly identified. Provide free literature on Islam. Have a sign-up sheet for your listserve. Collect the email addresses from the sign-up sheets and add them to your listserve on a weekly basis. This allows your organization to maintain communication with the students, professors or visitors that have expressed interest in MSA. From my limited experience, hosting a weekly booth has opened the door for bringing non-practicing Muslim students back to the deen, building coalitions with student organizations, forming important relations with university officials and affirming the presence of Muslims on campus. Other ways to increase MSA’s visibility is to co-sponsor events of interest with other organizations, invite them to co-sponsor your events and publicize your meetings and events through flyers, emails and letters to faculty members.
‘Activism’:People will take MSA seriously when they see that it is consistently engaged and active. This does not mean that your goal should be to host an event each week, for quantity without quality is meaningless. Rather, your board or executive committee should begin each semester with a detailed calendar of events. It should know exactly what day of each week or month it will hold general body meetings and it should know exactly what events it hold, their specific theme, invited speakers and general date. This will require a level of strategic planning from your board prior to the semester, but it will pay dividends later. When creating your MSA’s semester calendar of events, make sure to avoid burnout. Allah swt says in verse 2:286 of the Holy Quran, “La yukalifu Allahu nafsan illa wus’aha… ” [Translation: ‘God does not impose on any soul a burden greater than it can bear.’] If you know your members cannot commit to more than one meeting a month, then only schedule one meeting a month and make sure it as fruitful and productive as possible. If your MSA board members cannot handle organizing more than one major event every month or two months, then cater to those needs. Focus all your effort, time and energy in planning few, but clearly defined, well organized and fruitful events.
Dos and Don’ts of Meetings:Never hold a meeting without having a clear agenda. Once your agenda has been clearly defined, stick to it. Students can easily lose interest if the meetings lack focus or drag on. Engage the members. Ask for their input. Do not spend too much time planning or discussing minute details. Those should be left to a special committee created for that purpose or to the executive committee. Summarize the main points of consensus at the end of the meeting. Begin and end your meetings in a standard way. For example, begin each meeting with the recitation of Quran and end it with dua, a reflection, nasheed, refreshments, etc. Make sure to delegate one officer the responsibility of documenting meeting minutes, which he/she should send to the officers after the meeting.
Relevance:
The only way your MSA will gain relevance is by catering its product to market needs. Tap into your members’ interests. If your members are politically inclined, then incorporate political discussions in your general body meetings. These can be student-led discussions on issues as varied as the French ban on hijab, the impact of the PATRIOT Act on civil liberties or the role of US foreign policy in promoting democratization in the Muslim world. If your members want a social forum where they can make Muslim friends, then hold activities that will foster a stronger sense of community. For example, hold an Islamic Jeopardy contest at one general body meeting, organize a monthly sports fest or host a qiyaam once a semester for students to unwind, share reflections and sing qasidas.
In order to gain relevance to the student body, become involved in university events and institutions. March as an MSA contingent in the MLK Jr. Rally, participate in ‘Stop Rape Week,’ have a booth at the annual cultural festival or send an MSA representative to freshmen orientation sessions. Furthermore, utilize mainstream avenues of participation. For example, take advantage of the five minutes at the start of each student senate session to address student senators. Invite student government candidates to your meetings. Attend university-hosted events. Bottom line: Be visible. Be engaged. Be active. Be relevant.
May Allah swt grant you success and tawfiq in both worlds. May He strengthen your resolve, clarify your vision and guide you in every step of the way. May your effort for His cause serve to shield you from the Hellfire and elevate your status on the Day when there will be no shade but His.
- Hadia.
"We long have made it clear that a state of war is not a blank check for the president when it comes to the rights of the nation's citizens." Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
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'' Our Lord ! grant us good in this world and good in the hereafter and save us from the torment of the Fire '' [Ameen]
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{in Arab} :->
Rabbanaa aatinaa fid-dunyaa hasanatan wafil aakhirati hasanatan waqinaa 'athaaban-naar/-
(Surah Al-Baqarah ,verse 201)
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