UC MSA 2022 Fundraiser

Assalamualaikum! On behalf of the University of Cincinnati Muslim Student Association, we are looking to raise funds in order to host many inspiring events for this upcoming semester. Due to COVID, fundraising for organizations has been cut back and it is more difficult to put together a variety of exciting events as we have in years past for the Muslim community on campus.  We had an eventful first semester, largely possible due to the $4,940 we received from you all alhamdulillah. We have had a variety of events such as career panels filled with inspirational Muslims from the Cincinnati area who discussed medicine, business, and law to students who needed guidance. Our Islamic New Year’s Banquet was a great success with over 250 guests who enjoyed great food, Quran recitation, some wisdom from Hafiz Naeem Baig, and the opportunity to meet new Muslims from all over campus and other local MSA’s. We also had a beginning of the year BBQ where hundreds of students, many non-Muslim, came to enjoy halal burgers and hotdogs while participating in fun activities! Some other events we had last semester was a continuation of our weekly classes with Sheikh Faraz Malik, a discussion about “Islam & Climate Change” with Professor Muhammad Faruque, a calligraphy naming booth and workshop with homegrown talent Hassan Qureshi, having the opportunity to co-host a movie made by Muslim producer, Iman Zawahry, and mediating a discussion with the actors/actresses, got invited by the outreach director of CAIR Ohio to attend their annual CAIR dinner with guest keynote speaker Yasir Qadhi, and concluded with a ski trip to Perfect North in collaboration with MSA’s at Purdue University, Indiana University, University of Kentucky, and the University of Louisville. Alhamdulillah we are about halfway to our goal of $10,000 for the year, and we need your assistance in making this semester even more successful than the first. Although COVID is still relevant, we have many new and exciting events planned for the Muslims at the University   of Cincinnati in a safe environment.Inshallah, we will have more career panels for engineering and fine arts students so they can find Muslim individuals in their field for guidance and advice. We also hope to have many smaller events to enjoy such as ice skating at fountain square, brother’s basketball tournament, sister’s movie night, game night, a conversation about the Uyghur Muslims with Br. Riyad Shamma, a discussion about how to prepare for Ramadan with Imam Hossam Musa. Additionally, we plan to have an interfaith event with local churches and synagogues, a discussion about mental health with Dr. Saba Chughtai, a panel with Abrar Omeish, a democratic candidate for Fairfax County Schools at-large, several iftars and suhoors, giving out Ramadan gift bags, and of course, giving out new MSA merchandise. To cap off the year, we want to go out with a blast in our Fast-a-Thon Ramadan Banquet with a special guest speaker. We are planning to collaborate with and invite 7-8 MSA’s from across the area. It is our goal to raise awareness about Ramadan and the meaning of fasting as Muslims, so another goal is to have non-Muslims attempt to fast during the day and enjoy some  food with us for iftar while learning more about
Ramadan. However, we need to fulfill our fundraising goal in order to make it a unique experience with fun activities as well. On behalf of the University of Cincinnati MSA, we thank you for any donations and we pray that Allah SWT rewards you for your generosity. Jazakumullahu Khairan!