January 16th
January 9th
January 19th
January 29th
February 3rd
February 11th
February 15th
February 21st\
February 22nd
February 24th
March 1st
March 8th
March 12th
March 15th
March 19th
March 22nd - 24th
March 28

Archives

1. Spring 2000 [news] [pics]
2. Fall 2000
3. Spring 2001
4. Fall 2001

March 22nd  24th (Shaykh Hamza Weekend) - Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson visited Knoxville, TN March 16 and 17th.  Please see our memorial site.

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson in Knoxville, Tennessee Memorial Site 2002

click to enter

March 19th (Tuesday) - A grand thank you for all who helped cleaned the campus mosque today.  It was great to see so many eager to get the reward that goes hand-in-hand with taking care of a masjid/mosque.  We have Sean to thank for all his effort in coordinating such a wonderful gathering.  Flowers were planted, shrubs were trimmed, and the sidewalk and parking lot were pressure washed.  Two thousand pounds per square inch.... yikes, the pressure-washer could rip through steal at that speed.  InshaAllah (God Willing), everyone will get rewarded for there efforts.

March 15th (Friday) - Another awesome MSA study circle.  If you are still missing them, know that you are missing something great.  We now offer free baby sitting for all of you who have kids.  Today, a beloved brother became Muslim - brother Kevin.

MSA Halaqa (Study Circle) Pictures
The MSA halaqa draws even the youth.	Another successful turnout.  (The sisters probably had double our amount)
We take a short intermission to welcome brother Kevin to Islam.	Sean and Kevin hug (the line behind Sean not shown).
Yay, smiling pictures are great.	Hey, pay attention.
Tarek?  Are you lecturing or singing.

March 12th (Tuesday) - JazaakumAllahu khairun for all who came last night to the viewing of The Accused. Alhamdulillah (all praise be to God), the event was successful and beneficial to many. A special thanks to Dr. Mahdi Budayr who took time out of his extremely busy schedule to be with us, share his personal experiences and painful memories, and answer our questions.  For those of you who were unable to come last night but who would like to watch the video, it will be on reserve in the Media Center at Hodges Library for another week. After that, we must send it back to the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, from whom we borrowed it. The video cannot be checked out and taken home, but it can be viewed at the library. To do so, go to the Media Center (aka. the Audio/Visual Dept.) and ask for the video, which is reserved under the name Blevins (JazaakAllah Sean!). It is imperative that you tell them this, or else they won't know how to find the video. You need to have your student ID or some other form of identification. Again, this will be in the library until the weekend we return from Spring Break. (Maha Ayesh)

March 8th (Friday) - Alhamdulillah (all praise be to God), yet another great MSA study circle (halaqa).   Brother Sean told his amazing story of how he came to Islam. It ended up taking all the time for the halaqa, but we all wish he had more time in the end! It was a wonderful story that really benefited us all to listen to and understand the blessing of Islam that we tend to take for granted sometimes.  We weren't able to go into the Seerah (the biography of the Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) so everyone should be caught up in their reading hopefully! Please remember to have read up to Chapter 14 in the Martin Lings book. We'll also have a student topic by Sister Maha on the trial of Imam Jamil Al-Amin in Atlanta (formerly known as civil rights activist H. Rap Brown) and why this is so important to Muslims in America. (Tarek EL-Messidi)

March 1st (Friday) - Another rockn' MSA study circle took place today.  The most exciting even was when sister Carmen took the shahada [testification of faith].  May Allah [God] make it easy for her.  Syed Badar gave some nasiha [sincere advice] to the group.  Tarek then covered chapters one through five of Martin Ling's Muhammad (s).  Remember, the first five chapters are bout fifteen pages, so if you are behind it is easy to catch up.  Tarek's talk on the seerah was very informative and discussion based.  After that we 'strengthened our vocal cords' as Tarek put it, by singing a beautiful nasheed [song].  

February 24th (Sunday) - Malcolm X: Make it Plain amazingly had a larger turn out than the Hollywood movie shown on the 21st.  This documentary beautifully delineates this great man's life.  As a hero of justice and equality he will always be remembered.

February 22nd (Friday) - Today the Muslim Student Association and the local community celebrated Eid ul-Adha, which comes at the end of the Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca).  Many gathered at the Armoury for prayer at 7:45am.  From then on it was a fun filled day of visiting friends and eating delicious meals.

Eid ul-Adha Celebration
Imran and Owais get ready TO RUMBLE!!!	Imad exerts himself playing the game Shaykh Abdallah Adhami taught.

February 21st (Thursday) - In the spirit of Black History Month the MSA set-up a showing of Spike Lee's Malcolm X.  This is of of the few great Hollywood productions.  It depicts Malik Shabazz's (Malcolm X) life from his youth as a drug dealer into his revolutionary dealings with the Nation of Islam, and finally to his acceptance of orthodox Islam.  All who came enjoyed the movie and were excited about the documentary to be shown Sunday the 24th entitled Malcolm X: Make it Plain.

February 15th (Friday) - It's official, the MSA Islam Study Circle (Halaqa) have officially been started up again.  With a great mind like Tarek EL-Messidi behind the whole ordeal, expectations are high.  The halaqa is geared towards Muslims and interested Non-Muslims.  You will gain every time you leave the halaqa.  Besides being educational, it was a whole lot of fun.   With lecture, games and singing in proper proportion, everyone left with a smile and more knowledge.  Remember, in the halaqa we are going through Martin Ling's Muhammad (s).  Please read thru chapter 5 for the next halaqa. Also, this week's halaqa has been canceled due to the Eid ul-Adha celebration.

MSA Islam Study Circles
Tarek EL-Messidi powerfully moderates the halaqa.	After Tarek's talk on the importance of Seerah a short game is played to break the ice and loosen our joints.
The audience listens attentively to Tarek.	A recent convert tells the story of his journey to Islam.
The halaqa ends with reciting nasheed.

February 11th (Monday) - On Monday the 11th, we went to Sacred Heart. Alhamdulillah (All praise is for God), it was a great experience and we were well recieved. Khairunnisa talked about Islam as a religion and way of life; Reem talked about the basic beliefs of Islam; Maha discussed common myths about Islam (jihad and women). We fielded many questions from the audience. It was a very positive group and a great evening. We look forward for such great dialogues in the future with other churches and institutions. (Reem Abdelrazek)

February 3rd (Sunday) - The Super Bowl bash was again a success.  With plenty of activities from watching the game on a huge TV to bowling, pool, air hockey and foosballs to name a few, there wasn't a second left to boredom.  Boxes of pizza stacked high and bags of junk food were soon emptied into the stomachs of the attendees.  Its hard to say if the most entertaining part of Super Bowl XXXVI was the game or the hilarious commercials.  In an upset the New England Patriots, the underdogs, won against the Rams in a edge of your seat 20 to 17 victory. 

Super Bowl Bash Pictures
Many gathered around the big screen to watch the game					Pizza, Pizza, and more Pizza
Not a single frown.  Everyone enjoys the Bash.
B O W L I N G	Ali can't seem to learn the rules of bowling.		Ashraf tallies his awesome score.		Umar rejoices.		Ahmed gets a strike.
	Yazin puts some spice in his technique.		Afan bowls a high number.		Watch that		The bowling lanes suffer from baraka overload.  Here, Sean, Ibrahim, and a worker help fix the lanes.
C H E S S		J E N G A		Hamed is swift and sneeky when it comes to Jena.		Jenga! Jenga! Jenga! Imran tips the tower.
Sean and Ibrahim concentrate long and hard over every move during this chess game.

January 29th (Tuesday) - We had a wonderful first General Body Meeting today.  We discussed our goals for this semester and answered questions about our upcoming activities.  Raihan Farooq gave an inspiring  talk on Islam in trouble times.  Sean Blevins forced us to go back to our animalistic roots with the creative game he came up with and the food was superb.  (The game was:  to put a card with an animal on it on your forehead without knowing what is printed on your card, then to mingling with people asking them only yes/no questions to guess what animal you are).  My mouth is watering just thinking about the food.  We also released our first ever MSA t-shirt.  With a very fashionable design printed on high quality long sleeve shirts, its a bargain at $15 dollars.  If you didn't make it to the General Body Meeting, you didn't miss your chance to order a T-shirt.  Simply go to the MSA store and order one (two or three) for yourself.  MSA Store

January 19th (Saturday) - A Beautiful thing happened on a cold and rainy Saturday afternoon; a group of Quakers and Muslims got together to share their beliefs and serve their community. Approximately fifty Quaker youth from all over the Southeast came to Knoxville for a youth retreat. When planning their activities, several of the youth expressed their desire to do a service project alongside the Muslim Community of Knoxville. Sig Christians on from the West Knoxville Friends Meeting contacted the MCK president Ayman Shorjubai and the president of the MSA, Maha Ayesh. Two days later two service projects were set up with the help and support of the downtown YWCA, Keep Knoxville Beautiful, and Ijams Nature Center. On Saturday January 19, the Quaker youth and members of the MSA and MCK met at the Mosque and after a few introductory remarks, set out to do some good. One group of 12 Muslims and Quakers went to the YWCA to paint some of the rooms that YWCA residents and guests will stay in. The other group struck out amidst the cold and rain to pick up trash in the Fort Sanders neighborhood. While they were out getting cold, wet, and dirty, one of the MSA sisters was at the Mosque preparing cups of hot chocolate to warm them back up as they straggled back in. Both projects served to beautify the community, not only by touching up some paint jobs and picking up trash, but by revealing the beautiful nature of those willing to serve. After both groups returned to the mosque, they engaged in a thirty minute dialogue about Muslim and Quaker beliefs. Both faiths were pleased with the experience and thankful for the chance to work alongside one another. May Allah be pleased with their work too. (Sean Blevins)

January 9th (Wednesday) - Here rolls in a new semester bringing in a brand new MSA.  New officers, new procedures, new meeting times, its all new here.  O' how can I forget, no more Brainstorming (BC) meetings, now we have MSA Activities Committee (MAC) meetings.  We will still be knee deep in fun and educational activities.  Don't hesitate, join today.  Become a Member

January 16th (Wednesday) - Today marks this years first MAC meeting.  The preliminary ideas about the specific goals of the MSA for this semester was discussed.