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The Muslim Students' Association, or Muslim Student Union, of the U.S. and Canada, also known as MSA National, is a religious organization dedicated to establishing and maintaining Islamic societies on college campuses in Canada and the United States. It serves to provide coordination and support for affiliated MSA chapters in colleges across North America. Established in 1963, the organization now has chapters in colleges across the continent^[1], and is the precursor of the Islamic Society of North America and several other Islamic organizations.

History

In the 1960s, the establishment of the MSA was financed by a Saudi charity.^[2] MSA National was formed in 1963 at the campus of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest Sunni radical movement.^[2]^[3] Today, the organization is itself manifest in various forms on several campuses across the United States and Canada.^[2] The groups are funded by campus students as well as the university to which it belongs.^[4] (One of the largest MSAs in the United States is the UIC MSA.) It is the first national organization to have a convert to Islam who was born in the U.S. as its head.

Controversy

Journalist Deborah Scroggins, in exploring how suspected al-Qaeda member Aafia Siddiqui became an Islamist extremist, wrote for Vogue that if Siddiqui "was drawn into terrorism, it may have been through the contacts and friendships she made in the early 1990s working for MIT's Muslim Students Association. Members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the world's oldest and biggest Islamist movement, established the first MSAs in the country... and the movement's ideology continued to influence the MSA long after that. At MIT, several of the MSA's most active members had fallen under the spell of Abdullah Azzam, a Muslim Brother who was Osama bin Laden's mentor.... [Azzam] had established the Al Kifah Refugee Center to function as its worldwide recruiting post, propaganda office, and fund-raising center for the mujahideen fighting in Afghanistan... It would become the nucleus of the al-Qaeda organization."^[5]

Rutgers MSA co-founder Ramzi Yousef, a cousin of Siddiqui's second husband, is currently imprisoned for helping plan the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.^[6]

Ali Asad Chandia, who was president of the MSA at Montgomery College from 1998 to 1999,^[7] was convicted of providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani terrorist organization, and assisting the Virginia Jihad Network,^[7] and sentenced to 15 years in prison.^[8]^[9]

Organization

The Muslim Students Association of the U.S. and Canada is also known as MSA National. It is an umbrella organization for all of affiliated chapters at various campuses across the continent. Local chapters are only loosely connected with the parent institution, and often take different names, such as "Islamic Students Association", or "Muslim Discussion Group". Not all campus Muslim groups are necessarily affiliated with MSA National.

There is no fixed hierarchy between MSA National and local chapters; as such, the policies and views of the national organization are not necessarily shared by local chapters.

The United States and Canada is divided into five zones, three in the US and two in Canada. Each zone has a zonal representative, chosen by the members of the affiliated chapters within that zone. Chapters make up regional councils.

Activities

The MSA is engaged in various charitable activities.

The MSA often raises funds through events known as "Fast-A-Thons", which originated at the University of Tennessee. Other MSAs in the United States and Canada reportedly also hold similar events.^{[citation needed]}

The MSA launched a "Peace...not Prejudice" campaign to dispel stereotypes and paint Islam in a positive light. ^[10]

Different campus MSAs put on agendas reflecting the views of their members. While some chapters are political, many are purely religious.

References

^ List of MSA chapter websites
^ ^a ^b ^c El Horr, Jane (June 20, 2008). "Campus Radicals: A New Muslim Student Group Tries to Rouse the Moderates". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 13, 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
^ Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America, P. David Gaubatz, Paul Sperry, WND Books, 2009, ISBN 1935071106, accessed February 1, 2010
^ For Muslim Students, a Debate on Inclusion - New York Times
^ Scroggins, Deborah, The Most Wanted Woman in the World, Vogue, March 1, 2005
^ The Wall Street Journal
^ ^a ^b Terrorism suspect released on bond Diamondback Online
^ Teacher at College Park school sentenced for aiding terrorists Gazette, Maryland Community Newspapers Online
^ Hardball Tactics in an Era of Threats The Washington Post
^ [1]

External links

United States Campus Chapters

Sorted by ZIP code:

Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR 00918, USA
University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609, USA
Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA 02481, USA
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA
Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA
Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
Drew University, Madison, NJ 07940, USA
Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
Baruch College, New York, NY 10010, USA
Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
Fordham University, Bronx, NY 10458, USA
Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA
State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA
State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz, NY 12561, USA
Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY 13676, USA
Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY 14222, USA
State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
Monroe Community College, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837, USA
Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010, USA
Villanova University, Villanova, PA 19085, USA
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD 20742, USA
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22033, USA
Thomas Edison High School, Alexandria, VA 22310, USA
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
the College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23187, USA
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Guilford College, Greensboro, NC 27410, USA
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29201, USA
Georgia Perimeter College, Alpharetta, GA 30022, USA
Northview High School, Johns Creek, GA 30097, USA
Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514, USA
Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA
Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
University of Alabama at Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA
University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688, USA
Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37129, USA
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, TN 38501, USA
University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
Berea College, Berea, KY 40404, USA
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USA
University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH 44074, USA
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325, USA
Kent State University, Kent, OH 44420, USA
College of Wooster, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46222, USA
Indiana University Northwest, Gary, Indiana 46408, USA
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
University of Evansville, Evansville, IN 47722, USA
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
University of Michigan at Dearborn, Dearborn, MI, 48128, USA
Henry Ford Community College, Dearborn, MI 48128, USA
Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
Saginaw Valley State University, University Center, MI 48710, USA
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008, USA
Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614, USA
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, La Crosse, WI 54601, USA
University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI 54702, USA
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137, USA
East West University, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL 60616, USA
Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL 60625, USA
Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60626, USA
University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Bradley University, Peoria, IL 61625, USA
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
University of Missouri at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63121, USA
Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
Truman State University, Kirksville, MO 63501, USA
University of Missouri at Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Washburn University, Topeka, KS 66621, USA
Emporia State University, Emporia, KS 66801, USA
Wichita State University, Wichita, KS 67260, USA
University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182, USA
University of Nebraska at Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
Loyola University New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148, USA
Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA 71272, USA
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA
University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA
University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA
University of Houston, Houston, TX 77004, USA
Rice University, Houston, TX 77251, USA
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
Weber State University, Ogden, UT 84408, USA
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ 85308, USA
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
University of Southern California, Los Angeles , CA 90089, USA
University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
California State University, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
California State University, Northridge, Northridge, CA 91330, USA
Diamond Bar High School, Diamond Bar, CA 91765, USA
California State Polytechnic University (Cal Poly), Pomona, CA 91768, USA
University of California, San Diego San Diego, CA 92092, USA
University of California at Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
(UCI) Muslim Students Union Irvine, California 92697
California Polytechnic State University,San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA
Golden Gate University, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA
Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA 95053, USA
San Jose State University, San José, CA 95192, USA
San Joaquin Delta College, Stockton, CA 95207, USA
University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225, USA
University of Alaska at Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA

Canada Campus Chapters

Sorted by Canadian Postal Code:

University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
Dalhousie Student Union, Halifax, NS, B3H 4J2, Canada
University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3, Canada
Laval University, Québec, QC, G1K 7P4, Canada
McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1X9, Canada
Concordia University, Montreal, QC, H3G 1M8, Canada
University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, H3T 1N8, Canada
Sherbrooke University, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
Carleton University ,Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada
Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
Trent University, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8, Canada
University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
University of Toronto at Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada
York University, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada
Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A1, Canada
University of Toronto at St. George, Toronto, ON, M5T 2Z9, Canada
University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
Wilfrid Laurier University, Kitchener, ON, N2L 3C9, Canada
University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada
University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1C 5S7, Canada
University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2R3, Canada
Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1, Canada

[1] List of MSA chapter websites

[Radicals-2] El Horr, Jane (June 20, 2008). "Campus Radicals: A New Muslim Student Group Tries to Rouse the Moderates". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 13, 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

[3] Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America, P. David Gaubatz, Paul Sperry, WND Books, 2009, ISBN 1935071106, accessed February 1, 2010

[4] For Muslim Students, a Debate on Inclusion - New York Times

[emma-5] Scroggins, Deborah, The Most Wanted Woman in the World, Vogue, March 1, 2005

[6] The Wall Street Journal

[TERROR-7] Terrorism suspect released on bond Diamondback Online

[AIDING-8] Teacher at College Park school sentenced for aiding terrorists Gazette, Maryland Community Newspapers Online

[HARDBALL-9] Hardball Tactics in an Era of Threats The Washington Post

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@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 ==History==
-MSA was formed in 1963 at the campus of [[University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]] by Muslim foreign students.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=hBS4_S4q-NwC&pg=PA197|title=Mecca and Main Street: Muslim life in America after 9/11|publisher=Oxford University Press |page= 197| accessdate=2010-03-12|author= Abdo, Geneive}}</ref> Today, the organization is itself manifest in various forms on several campuses across the United States and Canada. The groups are funded by campus students as well as the University to which it belongs.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/education/21muslim.html For Muslim Students, a Debate on Inclusion - New York Times<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
+In the 1960s, the establishment of the MSA was financed by a Saudi charity.<ref name="Radicals">{{cite news|url=http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB121391832473590285.html|title=Campus Radicals: A New Muslim Student Group Tries to Rouse the Moderates|last=El Horr|first=Jane|coauthors=Saeed, Sana|date=June 20, 2008|work=The Wall Street Journal|accessdate=March 13, 2010}}</ref>  MSA National was formed in 1963 at the campus of [[University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]] (UIUC) by members of the [[Muslim Brotherhood]], the largest [[Sunni]] radical movement.<ref name="Radicals"/><ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=VJj8voB723YC&pg=PA241&dq=%22Muslim+Students%27+Association%22+brotherhood&lr=lang_en&num=100&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&cd=1#v=onepage&q=%22Muslim%20Students%27%20Association%22%20brotherhood&f=false ''Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America'', P. David Gaubatz, Paul Sperry, WND Books, 2009, ISBN 1935071106, accessed February 1, 2010]</ref> Today, the organization is itself manifest in various forms on several campuses across the United States and Canada.<ref name="Radicals"/> The groups are funded by campus students as well as the university to which it belongs.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/education/21muslim.html For Muslim Students, a Debate on Inclusion - New York Times<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
+(One of the largest MSAs in the United States is the [[UIC MSA]].) It is the first national organization to have a convert to Islam who was born in the U.S. as its head.
 ===Controversy===