According to their mission statement, the purpose of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) is to provide an environment for the development and networking of Muslims on campus while fostering a sense of community between Muslims and non-Muslims through education.
Abdullah Johnson, associate professor of electronics engineering technology, is the MSA faculty advisor and has been in his position for more than four years.
During his tenure, he has seen the group grow from a few students to the 12 members that it is now.
“The group has grown and I’ve seen the students grow,” Johnson said. “It helps the students learn how to socialize and network.”
The MSA group started out as an informal group that met on campus but the second student president of the informal MSA asked Johnson to be the advisor of the club so they could start receiving the stipends that all formal clubs receive from the college.
“Our students are multi-cultural and international students,” Johnson said. “My job is to oversee; counsel and guide them.
Students do not have to be Muslim to join the club, according to Johnson. In fact there is one member of the club who is non-Muslim already, and many non-muslims that attend meetings regularly.
“The club is open to everybody,” Johnson said. “It’s to raise awareness and for Muslims and non-Muslims to learn from each other.”
The MSA club is partly religious, meaning that Muslim students will pray at various hours of the day but the group does not necessarily promote Islam.
“Islam is a way of life, more so than a religion; you can’t get away from it,” Johnson said. “We don’t go proselytizing around campus, but in case someone does want the info, we have Qurans on hand, which we provide.”
Johnson says the club’s biggest accomplishment at Sinclair came last year when the MSA gave out a scholarship to a Sinclair student.
“Last year we gave out around two grand in scholarships,” Johnson said. “We also received an award from Student Leadership. Islam is all about giving and helping and part of our mission is to help Sinclair.”
The student president is Widad Boussaha and she says the club has been very beneficial to her.
“We really want to bring students together and show them the truth, that Islam is peace—and not terrorism,” Boussaha said. “People have misconceptions about Islam, and I like to show them the truth.”
The MSA meets twice a month and meetings are based around a certain topic. The MSA will occasionally show a video about a topic followed by a discussion.
“Our sole reason for the club is not to make you Muslim,” Johnson said. “It’s so everyone can get together… and learn from each other. ”
While the MSA has seen an increase in membership in its four years, Johnson hopes the club will continue to grow; but he believes the matter is not in his hands.
“Muslim’s always say ‘Whatever God wants,’” Johnson said. “I’m hoping it expands, but it’s really in the student’s hands to take the initiative and make it grow.”
For more information about MSA contact Johnson at 512-2019 or look up the Sinclair MSA facebook page.