Muslim Student Association shares the Quran’s teachings
Members chatter in delight as they scoop Dubai chocolate into rectangular molds, breaking the ice with sweets and an introduction to Islam in the first Muslim Student Association meeting of the year.
MSA started in the 2012-13 school year. The club quickly turned into a space where Lynbrook’s Muslim community could band together. The club holds meetings every Tuesday in Room 303.
“Islam is a religion that preaches being a good person and just being open to everyone,” senior and vice president Hashim Mahmood said. “Even though it is a gathering space for Muslims, it’s also for anyone who wishes to learn about religion in general.”
Due to the relatively small Muslim demographic at Lynbrook, MSA has struggled to garner enough members. The officers have attempted to hold prayers during club meetings, but sparse attendance as well as a lack of understanding for Islam makes it difficult.
“There are some occasions where people came to our meetings and started making a racket, because they didn’t know what Islam was about,” senior and president Muhaab Syed said. “They started making jokes about Osama bin Laden, and it’s pretty hurtful to see that because we don’t try to spread our religion like that. We just want to be peaceful.”
Despite the challenges, the club strives to remain an inclusive environment and a place where members can walk in anytime. MSA also hopes to collaborate with other clubs on campus to spread cultural awareness of Islam to students.
“No matter who you are, you’re still welcome, because even if you’re not Muslim, we’d still accept you,” sophomore and club member Varisha Mahmood said. “At the end of the day, it should feel like a community. While Islam wants you to be a part of the religion, we’d like you to join with the friends you made along the way.”
Agape Christian Club preaches and prays
Students eat salad and pizza as a club member reads out a Bible verse on the projector, discussing the verse’s significance and meaning.
Agape Christian Club began in the 2014-15 school year, their current members amounting to around 15-20 students. They meet every Wednesday in Room 606. Agape also holds the tradition of gathering in the quad for prayer furnaces every Friday at 7:30 a.m.
“When I joined my freshman year, everyone was pretty welcoming and cool,” senior and president Jacob Sit said. “I wanted to continue pursuing my own faith and helping other Christians continue developing their faith.”
Agape remains open to new believers and anyone curious about the religion. Students are free to walk in whenever they want during the school year to sit in the meeting and learn.
“Our goal is to be really inclusive, because I think Christianity in particular gets a bad rap for being very judgmental,” Sit said. “We have to emphasize that we love everyone — hate the sin, but not the sinner.”
This year, Agape has organized several speaker events on various aspects of the Bible, from the New Testament gospels to marriage and dating. A few weeks ago, pastor Daniel Kim from the Sunnyvale branch of the Chinese Church in Christ came and talked about salvation and deliverance of humanity to the club. When Agape is not hosting speaker events, the club bonds over Bible verses and passage analysis, the latter of which takes place every other week.
The club hopes to continue fostering an inclusive community for its members and a welcoming platform for Christian faith.
“The easiest way to clear up any doubt is just to ask questions,” freshman and club member Ryan Huang said. “So if you come in with any doubts, chances are you can ask someone in the club, and they’ll answer.”
