Contribute to Sanctum: The Undergraduate Journal of Religion

Feeling a lack of inter-religious dialogue on this campus? Have an interest in academically exploring religion and/or expressing your individual religious experience? Contribute to Sanctum, the new interfaith publication at Columbia!

Please contact Stephanie Riederman at slr2141@gmail.com for more information.

"Should Religious Ethics Matter to Feminist Politics"

Professor Saba Mahmood, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of California and expert on issues of secularism, gender, and modernity within the context of Islamist movements in the Middle East and South Asia, will reflect on why ethical practice and forms of embodiment matter to questions of feminist politics and analysis. By engaging some common misreadings of her 2005 book 'Politics of Piety,' Mahmood urges feminist scholars to critically re-think the normative status accorded to secular conceptions of the self and body in contemporary debates about religion.

DATE: Thursday, November 5

TIME: 6:30 pm

PLACE: James Room, 4th Floor Barnard Hall

MSA Volunteer Project: Fundraiser Carnival for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

For November's community service project, the MSA will be partnering with the Blue Key Society to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for pediatric cancer. There will be fundraising carnival at which MSA will sell food and other exciting items. If you are interested in staffing the booth, please contact sr2695@columbia.edu. Everyone is encouraged to attend the carnival and open their hearts and pockets for this great cause!

DATE: Sunday, November 22

TIME: 7:00 pm

PLACE: Earl Hall Auditorium

Gender Roles in Islam: Brothers' and Sisters' Halaqa

Come join your fellow Muslims as we discuss gender roles in Islam. We will be discussing the work by Sh. Abdel Hakim Murad (TJ Winters), "Boys Will be Boys." We look forward to seeing everyone there! Snacks will be provided!!

DATE: Wednesday, November 18

TIME: 7:30

PLACE: 569 Lerner Hall

Update! Planning for Islam Awareness Week

Do you want to celebrate the diversity in opinions, accomplishments, backgrounds, cultures, and talents of the Muslim ummah? Are you interested in showcasing the uniqueness of Islam though arts, politics, history, or music? Would you like to foster a greater understanding of and respect for Islam? If so, we need your help in planning Islam Awareness Week! We are looking for creative and enthusiastic people who want to help brainstorm and organize a series of programs for the week. Attend our planning meeting to find out how you can get involved. If you cannot make the planning meeting but are still interested, please email sr2695@columbia.edu.

DATE: Tuesday, November 10

TIME: 8:00 pm

PLACE: Lerner Room 569

Eid Al-Adha Dinner: Save the Date!

The MSA will be hosting its annual Eid al-Adha dinner on Monday, November 23 at 7:00 pm. The night promises to be entertaining and fulfilling, so save the date!

The Making of Islamic Ecotheology

Join us for a lecture by Faraz Khan on the present arguments of leading experts on Islamic ecotheology and environmental ethics and its relevance to the green movement.

DATE: Friday, November 13

TIME: 5:30 pm

PLACE: Lerner Room 477

Pakistan-India: What's Next?

Join OPS for a panel discussion focusing on the fluctuating relations between Pakistan and India with particular emphasis on factors sustaining the conflict, domestic and regional security implications, and an exploration of feasible steps toward peace. Panelists participating in this event will include: Dr. Hassan Abbas of Harvard University; Bernard Schwartz, Associate of the Pakistan Security Research Unit at the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom and former government official in the administrations of Benazir Bhutto and Pervaz Musharaf whose 2004 book Pakistan's Drift into Extremism: Allah, the army, and America's War on Terror was a bestseller in Pakistan and India; and Professor Saeed Shafqat of Columbia University. He is author of 3 books and 30+ articles while participating in 75+ international conferences.

DATE: Thursday, November 5

TIME: 7:00 - 8:45 pm

PLACE: Satow Room, Lerner Hall

Cosponsored by: Club Zamana, Ahimsa, Awaaz, MSA, SAJA

Winter Clothing Drive

For the entire month of November, the MSA is soliciting good quality coats, jackets, and other winter clothing items. All generous contributions will be donated to a local masjid. We will be collecting the items at Jummah prayers.

Post Jummah Charity Lunch for Waziristan Refugees

Due to the current operations in the North Western region of Pakistan, many of our brothers and sisters have been forced to flee their homes and are in dire need of assistance. To help them in their hour of need, MSA will be offering lunch for sale starting this upcoming Juma'ah. We sincerely request you bring money for this noble cause and eat your lunch with your Muslim brothers post Juma'ah Salaat.

NYC Premiere of "Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think"

The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Americans for Informed Democracy (AID), Intersections International, and Unity Productions Foundation (UPF) invite you to the New York City Premiere of "Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think." The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring keynote speaker Alex Kronemer, Producer & Co-Founder of UPF.

Purchase your ticket at http://newyorkpremiere.eventbrite.com. For more information, please email insideislamNYC@gmail.com.

DATE: Tuesday, November 10

TIME: 7:00 pm (doors at 6:30)

PLACE: The Scholastic Auditorium, 557 Broadway, New York (SoHo)

The Binding of Abraham's Son

Jews, Christians, and Muslims put the binding of Abraham's son in the center of their religious narrative. For Jews, the story is featured on Rosh HaShannah. For Christians, the story prefigures the crucifixion of Jesus. For Muslims, Abraham and his son's submission to Allah is a critical moment in Islam and is celebrated each year in Eid ul Adha. We will read the seminal texts of each tradition and discuss the ideological implications of the story for religious identity formation.

With Rabbi Burton Visotzky, professor of Midrash and Interreligious Studies at Jewish Theological Seminary, and Imam Syed Sayeed, religious life advisor for the Muslim Students Association at Columbia University.

DATE: Thursday, November 5

TIME: 7:00 pm

PLACE: Ansche Chesed, 251 W 100th Street

Muslim Scientists and Thinkers: Their Contributions to Modern Science

Please join the Polytechnic Institute of NYU for a lecture featuring George Saliba (of Columbia University) on Muslim scientists and thinkers and their contributions to science.

DATE: Thursday, October 29

TIME: 5:30 pm

PLACE: Pfizer Auditorium of Dibner Building, Polytechnic Institute of NYU, 6 Metrotech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Help Plan Islam Awareness Week

Do you want to celebrate the diversity in opinions, accomplishments, backgrounds, cultures, and talents of the Muslim ummah? Are you interested in showcasing the uniqueness of Islam though arts, politics, history, or music? Would you like to foster a greater understanding of and respect for Islam? If so, we need your help in planning Islam Awareness Week! We are looking for creative and enthusiastic people who want to help brainstorm and organize a series of programs for the week. Stay tuned for more information about how you can get involved!

Annual Carnival for St. Jude's Research Hospital

For November's community service project, the MSA will be partnering with the Blue Key Society to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for pediatric cancer. There will be fundraising carnival at which MSA will have a booth. If you would like to help plan what foods, games, and other ways MSA can raise money at the booth, or if you are interested in staffing the booth, please contact sr2695@columbia.edu.

DATE: Sunday, November 22

TIME: 7:00 pm

PLACE: Earl Hall Auditorium

MSA Co-sponsorships

MSA welcomes requests for monetary and non-monetary co-sponsorships. Please email msa@columbia.edu with your event's name and CO-SPONSORSHIP in the subject. Make sure to include your organization's name, event name, and a blurb that you would like us to publicize.

If you are requesting a monetary co-sponsorship, indicate the amount in your email. Please specify your budget for the event and what exactly MSA's contribution would be used towards (i.e. printing flyers, snacks, etc).

In order to ensure MSA gives your event adequate publicity, all requests for co-sponsorships, nominal or monetary, should be submitted at least 10 days in advance. If you would like to borrow any materials from the association, please submit a request at least one week in advance.

Muslim Community-Based Organization Seeking Interns

The Muslim Consultative Network (MCN) is a nonprofit network of New York area based Muslim American organizations and individuals, working to strengthen and unify our community for love of God and to serve the needs of Humanity. As a network of diverse NY activists, community leaders, and organizational representatives, we are uniquely well positioned to empower and engage across ethnic, class and racial boundaries. We aim to support and partner irrespective of race, class, religion or gender. Our current main focus areas are: Community Outreach/Health Education, Social Justice and Civil Liberties, and Preparedness/Community Empowerment. Members are also active in interfaith dialogue, recognizing its importance as an essential component of our service. (for more info see: www.mcnny.org).

Currently we seek some paid and some unpaid internships to help move these important (but under-resourced) projects forward:

Community Preparedness Intern:
MCN Crisis Program: 10 hours per week
Involvement in MCN Disaster Preparedness Program will include two out of the following three:
a) Red Cross training and certification paired with outreach to mosques about emergency planning;
b) CERT training and certification combined with promoting preparedness training with students and at risk Muslims in designated areas of the city;
c) Involvement in Flu Fighters program and presentations to student groups re vaccine/flu issues, with assistance to 3 health fairs at mosques and Islamic Schools in Manhattan, Brooklyn or Queens. Internship will pay $11 dollars per hour to start, quarterly increases likely. Please email iamourhaj@aol.com.


Community Education Intern:
Nafis Salaam (Muslims Against Smoking) 10 + hours weekly
Bilingual Intern requested to provide assistance to Nafis Salaam outreach: Give out fliers, contact media, and conduct short surveys concerning tobacco use in the Muslim community.
Internship will pay 12 per hour to start; quarterly increases scheduled. Please email iamourhaj@aol.com.


Community Strengthening Intern
Muslim Consultative Network
Nonprofit accounting assistance on Quickbooks;
4 hours per week at 16 dollars per hour to start
Website development 4 hours a week at 12 per hour, some additional volunteer help requested:

Unpaid Opportunities--credit may be offered, with some small stipends:
Research at Foundation Center; 2-3 hours per week
Updating our community directory of Muslim organizations; 2-3 hour per week
Assistance to Muslim-run Food Pantry (Bronx);
Assist Bronx Fundraiser October 31 for mosque burnt in fire;
Promote November Synagogue-Mosque "twinning"--citywide;
Assistance in promoting Women in Islam "Women Friendly Mosques" publication

Assistance to civil liberties program ie
a) Human Rights Day December 10 planning
b) Interfaith Immigration Coalition legislative visits
c) 300, 30 in 3 Project – — 6 masajid and/or MSAs are being asked to commit by January 31st to show the DVD Ending U.S. Sponsored Torture Forever by April 1st. Interns/volunteeer will call to arrange for them to agree to screen the DVD.. Preliminary Invitation letters should be sent out by 1 November 2009. Please email iamourhaj@aol.com.

Prospects for Peace: Discussion with OneVoice

The OneVoice Movement is an international mainstream grassroots movement with over 650,000 signatories in roughly equal numbers both in Israel and in Palestine, and 1,800 highly-trained youth leaders. It aims to amplify the voice of the overwhelming but heretofore silent majority of moderates who wish for peace and prosperity, empowering them to demand accountability from elected representatives and work toward a two-state solution guaranteeing an end to occupation and violence, and a viable, independent Palestinian state at peace with Israel. You can find more information about the organization at www.OneVoiceMovement.org.

DATE: Wednesday, November 4

TIME: 8:00 pm

PLACE: Held Auditorium, 3rd Floor Barnard Hall, 117th and Broadway

350: INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CLIMATE ACTION

Global Wakeup Call: New York City: A day-long event organized by Columbia University students who want to raise awareness for the cause of climate change, and, more specifically, 350. If you live in Morningside Heights, in New York City, or anywhere else, join us for a fun, interactive day on campus and help us give a big wake-up call to our community. It's time! For more information, please visit www.350.org.

DATE: Saturday, October 24

TIME: 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

PLACE: Low Plaza

Umrah Information Session

Over Spring Break 2010, the Islamic Center at New York University will be leading students, alumni, young professionals and Muslims from the U.S., Canada and more, in a one-week religious experience like no other. This trip is open to all Muslims, regardless of their affiliation with New York University or otherwise. They are working with Dar El Salam Travel Agency, the North American leader in Hajj and Umrah travel for many years, to ensure that people from all over the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world can travel in a safe, professional, and experienced environment.

Come learn more about this great opportunity at the information session, facilitated by Haroon Moghul.

DATE: Tuesday, October 20

TIME: 8:00 pm

PLACE: Lerner 569

Students of Color Leadership Retreat

WHAT IS IT?
SOCLR is designed for student leaders who identify as a member of one or more of the following groups: African/Black-heritage, Arab/Middle Eastern heritage, Asian Pacific Islander/South Asian heritage, Latino/a-heritage, Native-heritage and/or mixed-race. The Students of Color Leadership Retreat (SOCLR) is a weekend designed to fortify participants in leadership roles here on campus and beyond, to focus on shared experiences and to critically examine various issues and isms that relate to living in a multicultural and diverse community.

WHO SHOULD APPLY?
SOCLR is a joint venture between the CC/SEAS Office of Multicultural Affairs and Barnard College and Barnard College Diversity Initiatives and is open to all undergraduates from Barnard College, Columbia College, the School of General Studies, and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. First and second year students are strongly encouraged to apply.

Growth - Exploration - Leadership
Friday, November 13 – Sunday, November 15, 2009

Application due Friday, October 20, 2009 by 5:00 pm

Download the application here.

Legacy, Memory, History: In Rawanda

Join Taylor Krauss, founder of Voices of Rwanda, and Eugenie Mukeshimana for a film screening and moderated conversation.

What is the legacy of a genocide? What is the effect of a filmed testimony? How does one capture stories of suffering and survival, and what might they leave us with for the future?

Voices of Rwanda is a non-profit organization dedicated to recording and preserving testimonies of Rwandans, and to ensuring that their stories inform the world about genocide and inspire a global sense of responsibility to prevent human rights atrocities.

DATE: Tuesday, October 20

TIME: 7:00 pm

PLACE: Lerner Chinema

This event is cosponsored by Hillel, Global Solutions, African Students Association, Muslim Students Association, BOSS, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, The Veritas Forum, and Columbia College Democrats.

MADRE's Safe Birthing Kids Campaign

MADRE is an international women's human rights organization that partners with women in communities worldwide to meet urgent, local needs and create long-term solutions to the problems that women face.

MADRE’s newest campaign, called Safe Birthing Kids, is focused on Palestinian women who are unable to experience a safe birthing process due to the Israeli imposed military checkpoints. MADRE has teamed up with Midwives for Peace to train and equip new midwives to help women safely deliver their children in Palestine. Midwives for Peace is a grassroots group of both Palestinian and Israeli midwives reaching out across borders to help women safely give birth in a time of conflict.

How can you help?

MADRE is putting together Safe Birthing Kits, a kit of midwife-specific medical supplies, such as gauze, soap, hydrogen peroxide, sterile gloves, etc., that Midwives for Peace can use to ensure each of their traveling midwives have all of the sanitary equipment they need to improve the safety and quality of home childbirth. To find a complete list of items MADRE wants, please visit the MSA website, or http://www.madre.org/index.php?s=2&b=6&p=41.

Please email helpinghands@madre.org if you have any questions. If you want more information about the organization in general, please visit www.madre.org.

Brothers' Qur'an Halaqas

With Ramadan having just finished, there is no better time to continue with our efforts in reading and learning the Qur'an. The Columbia MSA invites brothers to join on Thursdays in the MSA prayer room after Isha prayer. We will be reading Qur'an and tafsir. Even if you are not comfortable reading, we encourage you to attend and listen, and insha Allah, we will all learn something!

DATE: Every Thursday

TIME: After Isha prayer

PLACE: MSA prayer room

Day of Dignity

Columbia MSA will be working with Islamic Relief's nationwide service project Day of Dignity 2009. Insha'Allah we will be distributing clothing and accessories for the winter, hygeine products, a hot meal, and health screenings to the homeless and impoverished. Volunteers will be needed to help with set up and breakdown, loading and unloading of supplies, distribution, providing security as well as surveying and talking to the recipients. To volunteer, please RSVP with your name and phone number to dayofdignity.ny@gmail.com!

DATE: Sunday, October 4

TIME: 11 am - 3 pm (volunteers are needed for the entire shift)

PLACE: Saint Francis Xavier Mission in Manhattan (55 West 15th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues - take the downtown 1 train to 14th St)

Brooklyn Bridge with the MSA

Join the MSA for a night of fun, food, and entertainment. We'll be heading downtown to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and enjoy its spectacular view, followed by a stop at New York's most famous pizzeria. Insha'Allah, we'll see you there!

DATE: Saturday, October 3

TIME: 8:00 pm

PLACE: Meet at Columbia gates

Eid-a-thon 2009!

Did you enjoy FAST-A-THON? Wait till you come to our EID-A-THON. Please celebrate Eid Al-Fitr with us with a night jam-packed with good food and entertainment. And for all you ambitious Muslims out there, get ready for a game of Who Wants to be a Millionaire- MSA style. The evening will start at 6:30 with Maghrib. See you there!

TIME: Sunday, October 11th

PLACE: James Room, Barnard Hall

Board Positions Available

We are looking for Muslims to bring their ideas and enthusiasm to the MSA Board! Positions available include Social Events Chair and Organizational Committee Members (OCMs). Only sophomores, juniors, and seniors may apply to be a Social Events Chair. All students are encouraged to apply to be an OCM. OCMs will be working closely with the board to help with all initiatives.

APPLY NOW! Please email ma2543@columbia.edu this application by 5PM Saturday, September 26th. Interviews will follow the application process.

Eid Mubarak!

The MSA would like to invite everyone to join in the joyous Eid celebration at the 96th St. Masjid on Sunday insha Allah. The prayers begin promptly at 7:30 a.m., so we will meet at the Broadway gates (116th and Broadway) to leave for the mosque at 7:00 sharp. For those wanting to meet at the mosque, it is located at 96th St and 3rd avenue. The easiest way to arrive from campus is to take the 1 train to 96th St. and transfer to the M96 crosstown bus to 3rd avenue. May Allah reward us all for our efforts during this blessed month and give us many more to come!

Volunteer Opportunity!

WE ACT for Environmental Justice (West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc.) is a local environmental racism and social justice organization based in Harlem and the Washington Heights. If you are interested in volunteering for the organization (primarily flyering, door knocking, surveying, and general grassroots support for the organization), please contact the Public Affairs Committee Chair at ysa2103@columbia.edu.

Hadiyah Muslim Mentoring Project

The members of Hadiyah, Columbia University’s first ever Muslim Mentoring Project, invite you to join them! Hadiyah is a year-long mentoring program dedicated toward building a strong network of support and community for incoming students with Muslim backgrounds. Freshmen will be matched with selected upperclassmen and graduate students. For freshmen, this means gaining an instant friend and guide at their first year at Columbia. For the active and motivated upperclassmen and graduate students, it means getting a chance to be more involved on campus and in the Muslim community. The program will also include several events, like game nights, dinners, and group outings.

To learn more, please attend the information sessions which will be on September 10 and September 15! (More information to follow.)

If you are interested in becoming a mentee, please submit your application here. Applications are due by Friday, September 25, 2009.

Upperclassmen and graduate students interested in becoming mentors, please submit your application here. Applications are due by Friday, September 18, 2009.

Fast-a-thon!

Every year, our MSA plans a Fast-a-thon. This event is the MSA’s biggest community building and service event of the year. The purpose of the Fast-a-thon is to invite people from the Muslim and non-Muslim community to "pledge" to fast with us for a day. In the evening, there is a large Iftar dinner (breaking of the fast), to which all participants are invited. The Iftar will include speeches by community members as well as reflections from participants. The event is multi-functional as there is also an activist/humanitarian component to it. This year's Fast-a-thon will aim to help break the cycle of poverty by raising funds for Harlem Children's Zone.

Partnering with an organization that our President Obama credits for “literally saving a generation of children in a neighborhood where they were never supposed to have a chance,” the MSA will help raise awareness of and support for Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) during this year’s Fast-a-Thon. With its holistic approach to community involvement, Harlem Children's Zone offers a wide range of educational, social-service, and community-building programs for Harlem children and families. It is with the help of HCZ that the local Harlem community is being rebuilt into a thriving hub.

Join us as we get hungry for a change. Let's work with Harlem Children's Zone to help break the cycle of poverty!

To find out more about the Harlem Children's Zone, check out http://www.hcz.org.

There are many ways you can help make Fast-a-Thon a success!
1) VOLUNTEER: We are looking for help with publicity, outreach and staffing the event!
2) Co-sponsor: We are looking for groups and organizations to co-sponsor the event!
3) RSVP and invite your friends: Official RSVP.

DATE: Wednesday, September 16
TIME: 6:30 pm
PLACE: Roone Arledge Auditorium

Freshman Mixer/Iftar

Welcome, class of 2013! What better way to start out your freshman year at Columbia and Barnard than with the holy month of Ramadan? Come join the MSA for our special Freshman Mixer/Iftar! Come eat, play games, and get to know your fellow Muslim students!

DATE: Thursday, September 10
TIME: 7:15 pm
PLACE: C555, Lerner

Ramadan Iftars and Suhoors

Ramadan Kareem! Beginning September 7, iftars will be available for the Muslim community weekdays around campus. Please consult our website for the most up-to-date room locations. In addition, suhoor will be available for students in Hewitt Dining Hall, beginning at 4 am and continuing until Fajr prayer. Students will be required to sign-in upon entrance to the dining hall. We look forward to seeing you there!

September 4 Jumaa Announcement

Due to campus maintenance, Jumaa prayer service in Earl Hall will begin next week, September 11 and continue for the duration of the semester. Students and community members are encouraged to visit the local masajid this week for Friday prayer, and we look forward to beginning Friday prayer in Earl Hall next week!

Ramadan and NSOP Information

Calling all Freshmen!! All incoming freshmen interested in registering for Ramadan activities (suhoors, iftars, etc.) during NSOP, please register here. For a complete view of our calendar of events, including iftars, check out our calendar. Suhoor will be provided for students in Hewitt Dining Hall beginning at 4am and continuing until Fajr prayer. All students must sign-in upon entering the dining hall.