The history of Islam is truly a fascinating subject. At first glance, one immediately recognizes the impact that Muslim empires have had on the world. From scientific acheivements and studies to the developments of languages, social sciences and religion, whatever subject a person turns to, he/she can find that Islam has left it's blueprint, and ones that have stood the test of time. In many cases, these acheivements were made by none other than the youth of the communities. We're talking about kids in thier teens, young men and women who matured very early on in thier lives, who led on to becoming citadels of knowledge and leardership of the Ummah. Knowing this, it is safe to say that it is the youth who will be on the forefront of change and development.

In lieu of this, we are the Muslim Student Association of the University of Washington (MSA UW). The MSA UW is a student run organization that was established in 1968 and is inclusive of over 150 students.

So what exactly is MSA?

The MSA is a national student run organization which seeks to serve Muslim students and represent Islam on North American Campuses. MSA-UW is a member of MSA Northwest--a coalition of MSAs from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia.

MSA is all about building a brotherhood/sisterhood atmosphere right here on campus. Uniting for the sake of Allah in all our actions and strengthening our bonds of eman. Making everlasting friendships on campus by helping each other in those dire times of need. Reaching out to non-Muslims to spread cultural understanding.

What is the structure of MSA?

MSA is an organization run by the students. From amongst those students an officer board (or executive board as it is sometimes called) is selected. The function of the officer board is to handle administrative tasks and to make it possible for MSA members to fulfill their ideas for events and activities. The executive board serves the members and facilitiates their needs, and, in the the ideal case, not the other way around. The members are the brain power, energy, and main body of the MSA. This concept can be illustrated by the heirarchical pyramid shown below: