With the negative portrayal of Islam in the media, our goal in the Muslim Student Association (MSA) is to create a better image for Islam in our school and in our community as a whole. Presidents Aaliyah Orloff and I are committed to organizing events that bring together the Muslim community and the non-Muslim community in order to accurately educate others of Islam.

“M.S.A. is an inclusive club meant to celebrate the diversity of Muslims and people of other faiths,” co-president Aaliyah Orloff said. “It gives us an opportunity to interact with other Muslims and learn new things about each other; it gives non-muslims a chance to learn about Islam.”

For the holiday of Eid al-Adha, our club had a potluck-style banquet for Muslim and non-Muslim students to celebrate, meet and greet, as well as teach the meaning behind the Eid. In Eid al-Adha, Muslims celebrate sacrifice and devotion for God. The holiday is based on the story of Abraham sacrificing his son for God; Abraham is blindfolded and about to kill his son, but God replaces his son with a goat because He only wanted to test Abraham’s devotion.

In the association, we will continue to have banquets like these for all students of all faiths to come together. Local volunteering and charity events will also be held, as charity is a big part of Islamic beliefs.

“I am not Muslim, but I joined Muslim Student Alliance to learn more about Islam. The club members were all eager to teach me more,” senior Megha Nelluri said. “The Eid banquet was definitely a fun learning experience for me, and I didn’t feel left out, even though I’m not Muslim.”

Another goal we have this year is to advocate for Syrian refugees. We will be hosting a letter drive next month in which we will write letters to legislators about letting refugees into our country. We will also be holding fundraisers to aid the refugees.

The MSA welcomes people of all faiths. Our club strives to create a club that not only celebrates our religion, but one that promotes a positive image of our religion.