Date: Tuesday, March 26th, 2013

Time: 7 PM

Location: Diana Event Oval, Barnard College

Join MSA and NFL football player Hamza Abdullah at MSA’s annual Fast-a-Thon! One of the biggest events of the year, Fast-a-Thon is a day when members of the community pledge to fast a day to experience a cross- cultural and spiritual practice, all while helping raise money for charity. This year, proceeds from the event will go towards those who are suffering from hunger and persecution in Myanmar. Doors open at 6:45 PM. *With a chance to win an iPAD!*

Purchase your ticket now! https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/performance.html?perfId=9768407&reset=user&method=showPerformance

CUID: $5 (promo CUADFAST)

Non CUID: $10 (promo NOCUFAST)

**Proceeds go to charity**

In the evening, we will come together to break our fast over a banquet style meal and with the help of NFL football player, one of the Abdullah brothers, Hamza Abdullah, who will reflect on his personal experiences of fasting and spiritually while training in the National Football League.

This year we are working to raise awareness and funds for victims of the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar. Since June of 2012, the Rohingya people of Myanmar have been undergoing persecution and the crisis has been deemed a genocide. The UN considers the Rohingya people one of the most persecuted minority groups so we want you to help us make a difference!

This is your chance to experience what fasting really is, help save people’s lives, and meet an NFL player!

https://www.facebook.com/events/340954279359221/

“Photos taken at MSA’s Fast-a-thon fundraiser the week after spring break.”

From Fast-a-thon 2013, posted by Columbia MSA on 4/23/2013 (38 items)

Generated by Facebook Photo Fetcher 2

]]> http://columbiamsa.org/announcements/fast-a-thon-2013-the-nfl-fasts-for-myanmar/feed 0 http://columbiamsa.org/announcements/islam-awareness-week-2013 http://columbiamsa.org/announcements/islam-awareness-week-2013#comments Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:28:34 +0000 admin http://columbiamsa.org/?p=164 …

On behalf of the Columbia University Muslims Students Association, I’d like to welcome you all to campus, and I sincerely hope that your move-in process has gone smoothly thus far. Leaving home and coming to university can be a hard process, for both your parents and yourself.

And that is where we come in. The MSA aims to foster Muslim life on campus and strengthen the bonds between our allies, associates, and members within the Columbia community. For the next few weeks and months, we have planned a variety of events that will seek to promote and address issues that are relevant to our community. We seek to educate our community about the various aspects of Islam, hoping to increase awareness about contemporary issues that may be relevant to each and every one of you.

Information regarding these events will be circulated via our listserv and our Facebook groups – one that is specific to new freshmen, and the other that is for the entire community. To join our listserv, simply e-mail msa@columbia.edu with your request. For freshmen, please follow this link to join the MSA Class of 2016 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/368377113226716/. For everyone else (freshmen: join this one too!), please follow this link to join our general MSA Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2200068295/. If you are in touch with us through any one of these mediums, you can be sure to receive updates regarding our events and meetings.

For those of you who have not met our two lovely board members who are currently OLs for NSOP, our first interaction with you will be at this week’s Friday Prayer- which will take place at the Chapel at the Interchurch Center (475 Riverside Drive, between 119th and 120th). The khutbah (speech) will start at approximately 1:15pm.

Historically, it has been only through the efforts and support of the general body that the initiatives of the MSA have been brought to fruition. As a result, we hope to work closely with our community members in order to better understand and acknowledge their needs. For this reason, it is also of utmost importance that we look out for each other and ensure each other’s well-being.

That being said, last night the Columbia community was struck with heartbreaking news about an incoming freshmen (for those of you who have not yet read about it, you may do so here: http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2012/08/28/student-dies-after-fall-john-jay-window). This is something that none of us can plan for in advance. But when it does happen, it is something that affects our entire community. It brings us together on a common feeling that we experience every so often, and makes us think about life from an entirely different perspective.

If you feel as if you need to speak to someone about this, or about anything else, please do not hesitate to utilize the resources that Columbia has provided for you: Columbia’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS), your Residential Advisors (RAs) and your Orientation Leaders (OLs). Additionally, feel free to reach out to me at ah2980@columbia.edu, and I will try to help you out to the best of my abilities. We are all here to support and listen to another.

اللّهُـمَّ بِكَ أَصْـبَحْنا وَبِكَ أَمْسَـينا ، وَبِكَ نَحْـيا وَبِكَ نَمُـوتُ وَإِلَـيْكَ المَصِيْر

O Allah we enter the day time and the evening and die with your Qudrat (power) and to You do we return.

Best,

Abdul Rafay Hanif

We currently have M, L, XL in stock, $10 each.

Through annual conventions, IamY hopes to raise awareness about the unique struggles faced by American Muslim youth. By educating the youth themselves and enlightening their families about youth issues, we hope to give the Muslim community the tools and knowledge needed to overcome these challenges and become active, responsible citizens of their world.

Vision

It is said that our future can only be determined if we first realize who we are. As American Muslim youth, we are bearers of complex and rich histories. And yet judging by the numerous identity crises plaguing many Muslim youth today, it seems as if we have forgotten ourselves. Our hope at IamY is to inspire American Muslim youth to reawaken and appreciate the complexities that make us who we are. Through education and empowerment, we hope to promote a better understanding of ourselves, our world, and our Lord.

Ultimately, we dream of a brighter, more defined future. Do you?

Who are We?

As Muslim youth ourselves, we are passionate about youth issues. Hailing from the awesome state of NJ, we know the TriState area. Conventions, conferences, and all sorts of events come and go in this Muslim hot spot. But what makes IamY unique is our intense focus on youth issues. We recognize that the youth are a crucial part of the Muslim community, and their problems are interconnected to the problems of the community.

What does a Muslim look like? Please join the Muslim Student Association in the first of many discussions during our annual Islam Awareness Week! We invite you to The Muslim Next Door, a panel and Q&A session featuring Professor Arshad Ali, Professor Lila Abu-Lughod and Wahajat Ali. The panel event will focus on how the conception of Islam and of Muslims is portrayed within the media. A post 9/11 Gallup Poll indicates that 44% of Americans do not want Muslims as their neighbors. We hope this event will create dialogue and discussion about such an increasingly prevalent issue. Food will be served!

The Columbia University MSA warmly invites you to our Islam Awareness Week event, Sounds of the Qu’ran: Exploring the Bounty Behind the Text, to be held on Tuesday February 14th. Keynote speaker, Imam Imran Salha of the Islamic Center of Morris County, NJ, will present the various tones and modes in which the Qur’an is traditionally recited, and will explore the both the linguistic peculiarities that shape the reader’s understanding of the Qur’an as a written text. Finally, we will unveil together the powerful spiritual message contained in the story of Musa (Moses) as portrayed in the Qur’an, thereby culminating our exploration of “the Bounty Behind the Text.” Please join us at “Sounds of the Qur’an” to experience a taste of this euphonious masterpiece and understand the reverence of Muslims and non-Muslims alike towards this text.

Appetizers will be served at the start of the event. Dinner will be served at the lecture’s close.

OPEN MIC NIGHT
When: 6:30 p.m-8:30 p.m on Friday, February 10th.
Where: Lerner Party Space
Who: Open to all CUID Students. Non CUID are welcome to attend by RSVPing.
What: Kick Off Event and Dinner featuring Cyrus McGoldrick aka “The
Raskol Khan,” Sahar Ullah from Hijabi Monologues, Musician Omina
Hegazy, CU-Dabkeh, and Haris Durrani. Refreshments will be served!
Contact: msa@columbia.edu to RSVP if non-CUID and please check out our
website for more information:www.columbiamsa.org

THE MUSLIM NEXT DOOR
When: 7:30 p.m-9:30 p.m on Monday, February 13th.
Where: 602 Hamilton Hall
Who: Open to all CUID Students. Non CUID are welcome to attend by RSVPing.
What: This event focuses on the visual representation of Muslims in
America. It is a panel discussion featuring Professor Lila Abu-Lughod,
Professor Arshad Ali, and author Wajahat Ali. Refreshments will be
served!
Contact: msa@columbia.edu to RSVP if non-CUID and please check out our
website for more information:www.columbiamsa.org

SOUNDS OF THE QUR’AN
When: 7 p.m-9 p.m on Tuesday, February 14th
Where: Lerner Party Space
Who: Open to all CUID Students. Non CUID are welcome to attend by RSVPing.
What: Come explore the bounty behind the text in a lecture with Imam
Imran Salha. Dinner will be served.
Contact: msa@columbia.edu to RSVP if non-CUID and please check out our
website for more information:www.columbiamsa.org

THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND
When: 7:30 p.m-9:30 p.m on Wednesday, February 15th
Where: 602 Hamilton
Who: Open to all CUID Students. Non CUID are welcome to attend by RSVPing.
What: This event will feature Shaykh Abdallah Adhami focusing on the
Prophet Muhammad.
Contact: msa@columbia.edu to RSVP if non-CUID and please check out our
website for more information:www.columbiamsa.org

COLORS OF ISLAM
When: Thursday, February 16th. Doors open at 6:00 p.m!
Where: Roone Alredge Auditorium
Who: Open to all CUID Students. Non CUID are welcome to attend by RSVPing.
What: We will be unraveling the Muslim identity with keynote speakers
Imam Khalid Latiff and Imam Khalil Abdur-Rashid. Banquet dinner.
Contact: msa@columbia.edu to RSVP if non-CUID and please check out our
website for more information:www.columbiamsa.org

FRIDAY PRAYER AND LUNCHEON:
When: Friday, February 17th. Prayer from 1:10-2:00 p.m. Lunch and
Discussion from 2:00-2:50 p.m
Where: Prayer (Jummah) will be in Earl Hall and the Post-Jummah Lunch
and discussion is TBA.
Who: Open to all CUID Students. Non CUID are welcome to attend by RSVPing.
Contact: All students must RSVP at msa@columbia.edu and please check
out our website for more information:www.columbiamsa.org

NSOP Informational Packet for Muslim Students

Have any questions? Join the groups below and ask away! One of our board members will be sure to respond within 24 hours.
Transfer Students: You are welcome to join the Class of 2015 facebook page, however, you should note that your graduation class has its own facebook page as well.

Columbia University MSA Class of 2015
Columbia University’s Muslim Students Association

Friday, October 21
Roone Arledge Auditorium, Lerner

6:10 PM Fast-breaking Reception Outside of Roone

7:15 PM Doors Open

Semi-Formal
Suggested donation of $10 at the door

Join the Muslim Students Association and the African Students Association for MSA’s annual Fast-a-Thon!  MSA’s biggest event of the year, Fast-a-Thon is a day when students, faculty, and members of the greater NYC community “pledge” to fast from dawn to sunset in solidarity with the victims of world hunger and malnutrition. In the evening, we come together for a night of reflection and contribution through informative presentations, great entertainment, delicious food, and raffles. The night promises to be a motivational one! This year we are working closely with UNICEF and Islamic Relief to raise awareness and funds for the famine victims of East Africa. In just three months, this devastating famine has killed over 29,000 children, with even greater numbers falling victim to measles and cholera.

HOW TO PLEDGE/BUY A TICKET

• 1) Go to TIC in the lobby of Lerner Hall from 1-8 pm Tuesday-Saturday.
• 2) Order online through TIC at http://www.cuarts.com/calendar/view/type/4/event_id/11802

                  ADVANCE

•                     CUID $2
•                     CUID $10 (to receive a Fast-a-Thon T-Shirt in limited supply!)
•                     NON CUID $4

                   DAY OF

•                     CUID $4
•                     CUID $12 (to receive a Fast-a-Thon T-Shirt- in limited supply!)
•                     NON CUID $6

HOW TO PICK UP YOUR T-SHIRT (bring ID and ticket)

• -EARLY PICK UP: Come to the 1st floor of Lerner anytime 1-7 PM on Thursday, October 20
• -DAY OF: Come to the reception at 6:10 on Friday, October 21 outside of Roone Arledge Auditorium

HOW TO FAST

1) Refrain from eating and drinking from dawn (5:59 a.m.) to sunset (6:07 p.m.) with the intention of purifying and cleansing the spirit.
2) It is recommended to wake up an hour before dawn to eat a light meal.
3) You should not fast if you are ill or have any medical conditions that necessitate food or water throughout the day.

HOW TO ARRIVE

For more information on Islamic Relief and its work in East Africa:

http://www.irusa.org/emergencies/east-africa-crisis/

For more information on UNICEF and its work in East Africa:

http://www.unicef.org/somalia/

For more information on our entertainment for the night:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-ReMINDers/71614875812

http://www.facebook.com/SulMilli

CO-SPONSORED BY: Amnesty International, Organization of Pakistani Students, Teachers College Vice President’s Office for Diversity and Community Affairs, Club Bangla, the Interfaith Collective, the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and the Graduate Student Advisory Council.

Any Questions or Concerns? Please contact Ava Asiaii, Community Affairs Chair, at aaa2219@barnard.edu.