Founders' Message

Assalam alaykum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh,

May the peace and blessings of Allah envelop you,

As volunteers, executives and finally presidents of the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) of McGill, we have been fortunate enough to see many of the opportunities, as well as challenges, that Muslim students face in their formative years at McGill. As we approached our final year at McGill, we came to realize how much the university and the MSA had shaped our lives. For us, and many others, McGill was where we made strong and lasting friendships, where we learned of and lived a true brotherhood and where we came to a deeper appreciation of the beauty of God’s creation. In short, we came to realise that despite the difficulties and hardships we sometimes faced, our time at McGill was truly a blessing from Allah.

Having graduated, we reflected on how we could give back and share the experience and knowledge that we had acquired during our time at McGill. We wished to help enrich the lives of the generations of McGill students, Muslim and otherwise, that would come after us. Our efforts first began in late 2017, when we first discussed the idea with colleagues, McGill administrators and members of other Muslim alumni groups in the USA. After much deliberation, and with the help and support of McGill University Advancement and the McGill Office for Religious and Spiritual Life (MORSL), we established the McGill Muslim Alumni Society (MMAS). The MMAS will be a vehicle through which alumni can reach out and help current students and fellow graduates by sharing their experiences, wisdom and material support. The MMAS can be a gateway for those who want to give back to the McGill community and have a positive impact on the lives of generations of students and graduates to come.

We pray that with time, Allah makes this a blessed initiative that becomes a source of constant charity and benefit (sadakah jāriyah) that impacts many generations of Muslim and non-Muslim McGill students and graduates, and inspires them to create a community built on excellence and brotherhood. 

Sincerely,

Nazem El Husseini

Muhammad Ahmer Wali