Amid the commotion surrounding proposed massive Danna Center renovations, the Muslim Student Association hopes to not be forgotten. While it is among the student organizations vying for office space, the MSA has a particular need.
The current MSA office also doubles as prayer space, which Muslim students can visit to satisfy their religious obligation to pray five times a day – at sunrise, noontime, afternoon, evening time and at sunset. They hope to still have a similar space, even a bigger space, in the renovated Danna Center.
MSA president Shaawn Ali, psychology senior, attended the Oct. 12 student meeting with Henry Munoz about the renovations, but he said he left with more questions than he came with.
“I think, in the meeting, he didn’t give many answers,” Ali said. “I’m unsure of our future.”
Chris Cameron, Co-Curricular Activities director and an instrumental figure in the upcoming renovations, recognizes the MSA’s needs and is working to accommodate them. He proposes making a distinction between office and prayer space.
“Prior to Katrina, we recognized that the MSA needed prayer space. But given the current configuration, the best temporary solution was to allocate one space for administration and worship,” he said. “What we’re seeking to do is to provide two distinct spaces. Will it be specific to MSA only? I don’t know.”
Cameron is considering making one all-inclusive worship space, but plans are still in their formative stages.
“It’s a little premature to know who gets space,” he said. He added that space allocations are all contingent on square footage and meetings that SGA president Elliot Sanchez, philosophy senior, will have with stakeholders regarding space needs.
Ali says that this vision of a prayer space would be okay but not ideal.
“That’s fine, but it would nice to have our own space,” he said. “We need privacy to maintain the integrity of the religion.”
He said that while praying with others of different faiths doesn’t stand in opposition to the religion’s teachings, it does present problems – especially with noise and that Muslims can’t allow anyone to walk in front of them while they pray. He also thinks that female Muslims might feel uncomfortable praying in the presence of non-Muslim males.
Ali, who will be graduating soon, said he hopes to leave knowing his organization is in good hands. He feels that the MSA has had a strong effect on campus – especially with the recent Fast-A-Thon, which generated about $1,200 – and is entitled to a prayer space.
“I’m unsure of where we’re going to go,” he said. “But from what we’ve done, we deserve it.”
Lauren LaBorde can be reached at [email protected].
