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.