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In this edition: Islamic Awareness Week, Board Elections, and more!͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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In this edition: Welcome backs, January updates, lookaheads and more!
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السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته AsSalaamu alaykum MSA Family! We are back with the February edition of the MSA newsletter. Let us start off with reciting a du’aa together: اللهُمَّ لاَ سَهْلَ إِلَا مَا جَعَلْتَهَ سَهْلاً، وَأَنْتَ تَجْعَلُ الْحَزْنَ إِذَا شِئْتَ سَهْلاً “O Allah, there is no ease except in that which You have made easy and You make the difficulty easy if You wish.” We pray the new year and semester have started off well for you, presenting you with great blessings and opportunities. May Allah bring to us what is good for us and what will allow us to be closer to Him, and grant us success in our endeavors. Ameen. Below is a recap of our January events and a look ahead to February. Read along to hear more from our lovely board members about how January went and what February will hold for us, inshaAllah!
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As-Salamu Alaykum! Here are some events you can get involved in this month: SHARE Center x Subaru event On Wednesday, February 14th Subaru of America, Inc. is providing the children of Lexington with warmth, confidence, and hope through the gift of brand-new coats. Join us at the SHARE Center (572 Georgetown Street) from 3- 5:30 to volunteer for this event!
SHARE Lunch Inshallah, we will be continuing our relationship with SHARE Center Lexington by providing a free lunch service for the people in the community. The SHARE Center is a non-profit social service and advocacy center that aims to advance the Lexington community by providing access to several services and resources. SHARE Lunch takes place on the first and third Saturday of each month from 11:00 am- 1:00 pm at the SHARE Center Lexington. February lunches will be hosted on 2/3 and 2/17. Make sure to RSVP when it's announced in the MSA Reminders GroupMe.
LUA Tutoring Be on the lookout for other community service opportunities! If you have any suggestions for events we should have, don’t hesitate to text me!
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World Hijab day is always celebrated on February 1st! It is a day to honor Muslim women who wear the hijab. Its purpose is to encourage women of all backgrounds to wear and experience the hijab as well as educate/spread awareness. Yesterday we tabled at the Gatton Student Center and gave away free hijabs. Alhamdulillah we had a great turnout, giving away over 50 hijabs, and had many many positive conversations with people of all walks of life. |
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Reaching out to the campus! Perfect North Earlier this month, on January 21st, we finally had our Inter-MSA Perfect North Trip! Members from UKY MSA, IU MSA, UofL MSA, Purdue MSA, OSU MSA, Wright state MSA and UCincy MSA gathered at Perfect North Slopes in Lawrenceburg, IN to enjoy a fun day of snow tubing, skiing, and snowboarding. We concluded the day with an insightful halaqa by Kareem Khasawneh from Wright State MSA. We had a great time Alhamdulillah and are looking forward to making this an annual event InshAllah! To see some MSA members having fun, scroll down for some pictures.
Islamic Awareness Week GET HYPE for Islamic Awareness Week which will be held at the end of February from 2/26- 3/1! This is a week filled with dawah centered events aimed at educating the greater campus and community about Islam. Alhamdulillah we always have great turnouts and meaningful interactions, so may Allah SWT bless us with success this year. We have a lot of exciting events planned so stay tuned for that and if you have any ideas or would like to help, let me know!
Other upcoming events The Student’s Association of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) invites you to their first meeting this semester! It will be held on Wednesday, February 7th, at 3:30PM in the Gatton Student Center. Stop by to learn more about the org and how to get involved! Check out BBNvolved to see all the other events being hosted on campus!
https://uky.campuslabs.com/engage/events
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Here’s what to look forward to! Dr. Palmer Hadith Class Hadith Classes will take place in Whitehall where Dr. Palmer is offering FREE classes about the 40 hadiths every other Thursday. Be on the lookout for when the first class of the spring semester will be! May Allah reward Dr. Palmer for his efforts Ameen! The tentative schedule for these classes this semester will be: February 8th February 22nd March 7th March 21st April 4th April 18th
Fajr and Folgers We meet in the interfaith room in the Student Center. We start off the day praying fajr together, reading the first and last 10 Ayats of Surah Kahf, and then going to the office to play games! Coffee and donuts will be provided! We have a great time at the previous events so don’t miss out on the ones next semester and spread the word! Fajr and Folgers in February will be on the 2nd and 23rd! We usually hang out in the office until Jummah so stop by!
Jummah Salah/ Friday Prayer Jummah Salah happens every Friday at the MLK Center at 2 PM! If you are interested in giving a Khutbah, please reach out! If you would like to write a khutbah for a Khatib to deliver, reach out and that can be arranged as well, using this form!
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AsSalaamu Alaykum everyone! Postcards for Palestine Since January was short and we’re all just getting back into the swing of things, there was no major social event this month. BUT! We did host an event called Postcards for Palestine, where we wrote postcards and letters to send to various government officials expressing our frustration and desire for the US government to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, and push for more humanitarian aid. Thank you to everyone who contributed! We still have lots of paper, envelopes, and postcards for those who still wish to write something. Please feel free to come by the office anytime during office hours, hang out, and write to your government!
Coming up this February Cultural Night One of the best events of the year is finally here: CULTURAL NIGHT! We are so excited to host sister’s and brother’s cultural nights! These events are meant to share an appreciation for each other’s cultural clothing, food, music, and other traditions. We hope you’ll join us wearing your cultural attire, and bring your favorite dish! The events will be on February 9th, at separate off-campus locations. Please RSVP in the GroupMe to be sent the address! We want everyone to be able to come so let a board member know if you need a ride!!
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اَلسَلامُ عَلَيْكُم وَرَحْمَةُ اَللهِ وَبَرَكاتُهُ
As Jenna said, we didn’t have too many events in January due to the break and getting back into the hang of things. Enjoy these pictures from Perfect North and from our January General Body Meeting! You can also see more pictures and videos of our events on our instagram @UKYMSA
January General Body Meeting https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jYlFR5yPU3hN70CSt990XVbSFcJa8vQI?usp=drive_link A Journey for the Soul: Celebrating A Living Palestine. We also invite you to take a look at these pictures from our dinner last semester “A Journey for the Soul: Celebrating A Living Palestine.” This was a beautiful event Alhamdulillah where our community gathered to celebrate the richness and beauty of Palestinian culture and to recognize the unwavering resilience of the Palestinians. May Allah SWT have mercy on the people of Palestine and grant them a swift victory. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_F9kc04LjP5hDdMqQCUmwCqulHwobQQR?usp=sharing Palestine will live forever, physically and within our hearts.
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AsSalaamu alaykum everyone! Fundraisers Below are some donation links for Palestine. Please consider donating as it is a responsibility on each of us to use what Allah SWT has given us to help others. https://secure.qgiv.com/event/palestineemergency/account/1627458 This is a link to our Islamic Relief USA fundraiser https://shorturl.at/gKQ09 This is a link to Baitulmaal, which is a credible place to send donations.
We also have a linktree in our Instagram bio (@ukymsa) that has some resources to donate to. New ways to donate! Alhamdulillah, we have just created a Launchgood page. This campaign is where payments to UKYMSA can be made, as well as, donations sent in support of relief efforts for the ummah. The Launchgood can be used as an alternative payment route to Venmo or paying cash. To access our page, use the following link, or check it out on our website! LaunchGood.com/ukymuslims
Reminders
If you have not paid dues to be a member, they are now $20 again. REMEMBER, elections are right around the corner. If you want to run to be on the board, you have to be a member of the MSA. Venmo is @ukymsa, or cash can be handed to a board member as well.
JazakAllah Khayr
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Notes from the Secretary: Office Hours Halal Food on Campus Ramadan on Campus With Ramadan approaching, please reach out for any accommodations you may need- whether it be access to suhoor/ sehri or iftar meals, directions to the masjids you can pray at, or letters to your professors explaining what Ramadan is. We want to help you do your best while strengthening your relationship with Allah SWT during this blessed month!
Attention Seniors!! To stay involved and updated join the MSA reminders groupchat on groupme, follow us on Instagram, and check out our bbnvolved page and website!!
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Notes from the Vice President
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AsSalaamu alaykum!! Alhamdulillah, UKY Dining is now offering Halal protein options in Champions Kitchen at the Gatton Student Center❕
Management of the UK Dining team and employees at the halal station are now required to complete a training course in Halal food handling and preparation. In addition, a new oven has been installed in the pizza station to ensure that there is no cross-contamination.
It has been an ongoing process to obtain permanent, consistent, and accessible halal food options on campus. We appreciate your support and ask for your du’aa as we continue to work towards building a more equitable and inclusive campus for Muslim students
In the meantime, if you have any questions or would like to get involved please DM a board member!! I highly encourage you all to utilize this new initiative—the more people ask for halal food, the better we can show having Halal options is a NEED. Go try it out and tell all your friends!!! |
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As we approach Ramadan (only 37 days away!), let us take a moment to renew our intentions for the coming days. Let us make an effort to purify our hearts and intentions and make a commitment towards bettering ourselves and our Iman (faith) for the sake of Allah. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) taught us to recite this du’aa asking Allah to allow us to reach Ramadan together: اللهم بارك لنا في رجب و شعبان و بلغنا رمضان “O Allah bless us in Rajab and Sha’baan and allow us to reach Ramadan”
That wraps up the February newsletter. As always, follow our Instagram (@UKYMSA) and join our GroupMe for more updates and announcements. Be sure to reach out to us if you need anything, and if there is anything you would like to see from the MSA, don’t hesitate to let us know! 👋 وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته
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