-
MSA welcomes students with fall Welcome Back Dinner
Over 100 students gathered in Stamp’s grand ballroom for the Muslim Student Association’s (MSA) semesterly Welcome Back Dinner on Friday. The Welcome Back Dinner provides new students a place to meet their Muslim brothers and sisters, allows returning students to get together, and helps build a sense of belonging amongst the Muslim community at UMD,…
-
Meet the 2025-26 MSA Board
Editor’s Note: Humnah Ibrahim is the Social Media Editor for Al-Hikmah. As the semester comes to a close and summer approaches, the 2025-2026 MSA board has been officially confirmed. Get to know the students who will be leading UMD’s MSA during the upcoming academic year. President: Zayd Mahfuz “I want the community to know that…
-
Leena Davis reflects on MSA presidency
The UMD MSA was founded in 1969, according to its website, and has had approximately 56 presidents to date. Only two of them have been women, making up less than 4% of the organization’s leadership across its history. Leena Davis became one of those two women when she was elected MSA president for the 2024-2025…
-
“We stand in firm solidarity”: Boycott Israel Fest in photos
Enclosed in a circular frame of silver fences, students and faculty stood side-by-side in Hornbake Plaza for a counter-demonstration against the annual “Israel Fest” on May 6. The protest, hosted by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), called for the campus community to boycott the festival, referring to it as a celebration of a settler…
-
MSA bazaar showcases small businesses, student talent
Dozens of students gathered in the Nyumburu basement on Thursday, May 8 for the MSA’s bazaar event, during which students and organizations displayed their businesses, crafts, or services. Leena Davis, a senior agricultural and resource economics major and president of the MSA, was inspired to organize the event by her longtime love of arts and…
-
New Muslim club sparks mental health conversations amongst community
To create a space for Muslim students and others to discuss mental health through cultural and religious lenses, Maha Idsassi and Yusra Umer co-founded the club Noor On My Mind (NOMM). “As a Muslim student, I am passionate about my faith, but I feel like when we talk about Islam and mental health together we…
-
‘What are your values?’ Workshop teaches UMD students to align job searching with ethics
The Arab American Association of Engineers and Architects (AAAEA) and the Egyptian Student Association (ESA) hosted an “Ethics in the Job Search” workshop to help students build careers that align with their personal values. The event took place on May 5 in the Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building. In the DMV region, careers at defense…
-
Living on campus: the Muslim experience
The fluorescent lights shone above the common room as the microwave hummed, warming the dining hall provided suhoor — the meal eaten before dawn when fasting. Students sat in silence, adjusting to their surroundings, as they waited their turn to heat up their food. At 4 a.m. in Prince Frederick Hall, Habib Camara, a sophomore…
-
Palestinian Cultural Club: building community through culture
In an effort to gather Palestinian students on campus and educate the UMD community about Palestinian culture, Sarah Edwan came up with the idea of the Palestinian Cultural Club, also known as PCC. Edwan, whose family hails from Gaza, founded the student organization last semester with the motto of building community through culture. “I wanted…
-
Sister’s Gala brings UMD students together to celebrate sisterhood
“Sisterhood in Islam means an unconditional bond,” Diyanah Musabbir, senior and information science major, said. Musabbir serves as the Vice President of Sister’s Affairs in the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at the University of Maryland. She serves a pivotal role in organizing the Sisters’ Gala, a semesterly girls-only event hosted by the MSA. This semester’s…
Al-Hikmah 