Being religiously active at college can be difficult. It's hard to remain active in one's faith away from family, friends, and familiar religious sanctuaries. For students at Tufts who want to be religiously active, Tufts boasts numerous organizations. One such organization, the Muslim Students Association at Tufts (MSAT) - and the associated Islamic Center - provides a place for Muslim students to gather, meet, and pray.
The main use of the Islamic Center, which is more than a decade old, is for MSAT prayers, meetings, and events, but students can also stop in to do reading and work. Interest in the group has soared over the past year and MSAT programs have expanded as a result.
"We have focused largely on increasing awareness about Islam since [Sept. 11] because of the wide array of misconceptions of Islam that have popped up since the World Trade Center Bombings," sophomore and MSAT President Muzzamil Mustafa said.
The Islamic Center and MSAT have been reaching out and participating in interfaith programs with other religious groups at Tufts. They participate in many events sponsored by the Tufts Chaplaincy, as well as participating with other groups such as the Dean of Students Office, the Asian American center, and Hillel.
According to Chaplaincy Coordinator Linda Karpowich, the MSAT has always been interested in participating in interfaith events.
"MSAT and the Islamic Center have been more than willing to participate in interfaith events even before Sept. 11," Karpowich said. Past events with other religious organizations have included a Muslim/Catholic/Jewish dialogue and members of MSAT speaking at the Chaplain's table.
However, members of MSAT and others at Tufts - including Karpowich - say that the Islamic center is not adequate for the Tufts Muslim community's needs. Currently located in the basement of a house at 176 Curtis Street, the Center was originally meant to accommodate about 25 people. It was planned to have a prayer area, a kitchen, and an office.
Recently, the numbers of Muslim students on campus participating at the Islamic Center's prayer services have increased dramatically. MSAT holds Friday's jumma prayers at the Islamic Center each week, which are open to the entire community. Around 75 people usually attend. To accommodate these people, the kitchen and office areas have been converted to prayer space.
The lack of adequate space at the current Islamic Center has led to a need for an expanded Islamic Center. Although these renovations have not yet begun, organizers hope they will begin soon.
"We hope that a larger Islamic Center will serve as a center to keep Muslim students organized on campus," Mustafa said.
Those planning the renovations have several things they wish to see in the new center. They would like, among other things, to have a larger prayer area to accommodate 150 people, more office space, and conference rooms. They also hope to add a library, which will hold books and other resources about Islam for the entire Tufts community to read. Muzzamil said he also hopes that at some point, the Muslim Living Unit currently housed in 92 Curtis will be incorporated with the Islamic Center.
The new center will hopefully present many possibilities and opportunities for the Muslim community. Organizers hope that the new Islamic Center will be able to hold classes about the Quran and Islam.
"We may even work with different departments on campus to help bring new classes to Tufts about Islamic related issues," Mustafa said.
In addition to Friday's prayers, MSAT and the Islamic Center hold a number of events and programs for the Tufts community. Past events include the annual Eid dinner and Ramadan iftar dinners. MSAT has also sponsored many talks and lectures about Islam.
After the events of Sept. 11, MSAT responded by reaching out to the greater Tufts Community. Members attended vigils organized by different Tufts organizations that denounced the tragedies. Many members spoke to the press and media around Boston and were featured in local papers. MSAT also helped to organize Massachusetts Senator John Kerry's visit to Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
"We have tried our best to make Muslims on campus feel safe and be safe," Mustafa said. MSAT continued its normal events of the school year while paying attention to the increasing appearance of Islam in the news. Their programs since then have reflected this. And students hope the enlarged center will benefit a diverse array of students.
"The Islamic Center will serve both the Muslim community at Tufts and the greater Tufts Community," Mustafa said.
