A semester of momentum for UCalgary’s Muslim Students’ Association

This past semester, the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) at the University of Calgary demonstrated the power of student-led initiatives.

Through events focused on connection, service, civic engagement and professional growth, the MSA helped shape a campus atmosphere that empowers students to get involved in something transformative, while giving back to the community.

Here are some key moments that defined the MSA’s impact this term:

Kicking off with connections

The annual meet-and-greet on Sept. 19 introduced the incoming MSA executive team and featured as guest speakers Sheikh Ali Nasser, Muslim faith representative with UCalgary’s Faith and Spirituality Centre, and registered psychologist Dr. Mahdi Qasqas, PhD’20, who spoke on topics related to mental health and community. 

With more than 200 students in attendance, the event held at Hunter Student Commons set a strong tone for the year, ending with time (and free pizza) for them to connect with one another, the new executives and the guest speakers.

“I think it’s very important for the executive team to interact with and be familiar with our members, so they feel welcome and comfortable interacting with us and as a community,” says Ali Awan, vice-president of communications with the MSA. “It's why events like these are so great at the start of the year.”

Local giving goes global

The MSA’s annual Charity Week Dinner on Oct. 26 raised more than $63,000 in donations that are earmarked to help 800,000 people worldwide. 

The event was organized entirely by students, in collaboration with more than 20 youth-led groups and campus clubs, as well as Islamic Relief Canada. 

The dinner, held at the White Diamond Banquet and Conference Centre, drew 400 attendees, and was one of the most successful student-led events on campus in 2025. Funds raised from this event will contribute to empowering communities, supporting vulnerable children and families, improving health and education, and rebuilding essential services around the world.

“It’s so incredibly important that we unite so many organizations under the banner of Charity Week, a program that at its core helps those facing hardships around the world,” says Zahra Qazi, Charity Week General Secretary for Alberta and an international relations and international business strategy student at UCalgary. “Some of our prominent initiatives are immediate relief campaigns, as well as long-term programs.”

Civic politics meets student voices

On the eve of Calgary’s civic election in October, the MSA hosted a mayoral panel in Engineering Block A, bringing five candidates to campus for a direct conversation with students about their top concerns. 

The MSA teams co-ordinated the session, creating a space where candidates could engage in a setting they rarely encounter: a university environment. 

Candidates answered prompts from both hosts and community members, giving students and Calgary youth a clearer, unfiltered sense of where each hopeful stood. 

With five candidates present and roughly 300 people tuning in through in-person and streaming, the event marked one of the MSA’s strongest political engagements to date.

Building careers and community

The Networking Night for Muslims event on campus on Nov. 19 allowed students to meet other community members in their respective fields and gain insights, life and career advice from one another. 

The event at Hunter Student Commons had more than 60 attendees and featured a mentor system where experts from fields such as business, medicine and various engineering disciplines provided experts to guide younger students on the next steps of their career journeys. 

“I learned from my fellow undergraduates and post-grads’ advice on finding an engineering internship,” says Networking Night attendee and third-year software engineering student Tyseer Shahriar. “I also learned about interesting research from post-grads that opened my eyes to other possibilities in the realm of engineering.”

New website keeps MSA members connected on upcoming events

A new MSA website, by students for students, launched in October and provides a one-stop destination for events, registration and membership information.

Upcoming events include:

• January 2026: Mount Royal University MSA vs. UCalgary MSA Games Night
• February 2026: Islam Awareness Week
• March 2026: Grand Iftar (large banquet in which attendees open their fast together at sunset, celebrate unity and reflect on the importance of Ramadan)

Check the new website for information about these events.

The impact of clubs like MSA

Student clubs play a vital role in shaping the UCalgary experience, says Verity Turpin, vice-provost (student experience). 

“Groups like the MSA exemplify how clubs support engagement on campus,” Turpin says. “They bring students together through community-building, leadership opportunities, and meaningful cultural and social programming. These clubs don’t just enhance student life — they help our university become an even more vibrant, supportive and inclusive community.”

Over the fall semester of 2025, the MSA demonstrated what effective collaboration and community-minded growth can produce, and it intends to carry this same practical, team-driven approach into its next activities.