The Muslims at Yale

The Muslim Students' Association (MSA) provides Yale students with the opportunity to come together in a supportive Muslim environment and seeks to educate the Yale and New Haven communities about Islam. All students and community members are welcome to MSA activites and events. Above all we recognize that students are at varied levels in their own faith and we are welcoming to all, regardless of the extent of one's religious knowledge or determination.

Regular activities organized by the MSA include weekly dinner meetings in one of the residential college dining halls, jumu’ah prayer services on Friday, a halaqa (discussion circle) every Wednesday, and ‘isha prayer congregations every night. In addition, each semester features several social gatherings such as pizza study breaks, chill sessions, sisters’ hangouts, and movie nights. Even a “Muslim Mango Madness” night (with mango lassi, mango shakes, and mango ice-cream!) is not left only upto imagination! Ramadan for us is the busiest and most inspiring time of the year: the MSA organizes daily iftaar dinners and suhoors (sometimes even featuring halal hotdogs or freshly-cooked chicken jalfrezi!), as well as Taraweeh prayers at night, and of course, the grand annual Ramadan Banquet!

Other annual events include the kick-off barbeque to welcome our freshmen, a “Meet and Greet”, and the traditional hike to East Rock. Every Spring, the MSA holds an annual Islamic Awareness Week with the purpose of better acquainting the campus community with the faith of its members. Also in the Spring every year is the Critical Islamic Reflections (CIR) conference, organized by the MSA in sponsorship with other organizations. Now in its fifth year, CIR aims to pursue critical academic scholarship on issues relating to Islam and Muslim society.

The MSA believes in active involvement on campus, and works to participate in organizing many events sponsored by other associations such as the AASA-affiliated groups, the Arab Students Association, JAM(jews and muslims interfaith organization), the Multifaith Council, the Yale Hillel, the Afro-American, Asian-American and Latino Cultural centers, and others.