A “typical” college lifestyle is often associated with last-minute cramming for midterms, late nights and, quite often, drinking on the weekends. Because of this, many religious students often feel isolated, lacking similar-minded peers who choose to abstain from such behavior.

It’s especially difficult for Muslim students, whose faith specifically prohibits the consumption of alcohol or illicit sexual relations. Students often feel like fish out of water upon first coming to college. This is where the UW’s Muslim Student Association comes in.

“[The MSA] serves both the Muslim and non-Muslim communities here on campus,” said MSA President Hassan Hatem. “We help young Muslim freshman adjust to life on a college campus and help them make friends with similar values. We also help foreign Muslim students who come here by showing them around and introducing them to other Muslims in the area.”

As Muslim students make the difficult transition to higher education, the club provides a social network and an opportunity to meet other Muslims, observe the holidays and participate in community service projects.

The club’s most recent outreach project was Islam Awareness Week, in which a variety of activities took place, including Arabic calligraphy, organized prayer on the HUB lawn, a lecture called “Who is Muhammed?,” Ask a Muslim day and “My Journey To Islam,” a speech by a convert. All were designed to educate the campus community and invite non-Muslims to explore the faith.

Members of the club tabled each day, providing educational literature about Islam and fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies.

Junior Zak Dehlawi said the club provided a type of instant community and enabled him to find a niche within such a large school when he joined as a freshman.

“I love the experiences the MSA has offered me during my time here,” Dehlawi said. “I joined as soon as I came to campus. I was really looking forward to it.”

Dehlawi added that he particularly enjoyed participating in Islam Awareness Week and teaching others about his faith.

“Part of our faith is telling people who we are and what we do,” Dehlawi said. “I think it’s a really great chance to tell people all about the really positive sides of Islam — something I feel is very much lacking in today’s society.”

Dehlawi said he feels fortunate to attend college in a region known for its tolerance of diversity. He also feels welcome and accepted as a Muslim on the UW’s campus.

“I think it’s very open and multicultural in Seattle,” he said. “I’ve never felt unwelcome.”

Freshman Selma Elgabalawy said she joined the MSA fall quarter so she could remain in touch with her religious roots and meet other Muslims her age.

“I wanted to make sure it remained an important part of my life,” El-Gabalawy said. “In college, there are so many ways to get off track — most social activities are centered around alcohol or things like that. The MSA helps me retain my morals and it keeps me active.”

Elgabalawy said her involvement with the MSA enabled her to make instant friends and find her niche at the UW.

“When I first came here, I was completely alone since nobody else came here from my high school,” Elgabalawy said. “[The MSA] welcomed me in as though they’d known me for years. I did so much my first quarter — we had movie nights and did lots of events at the local mosque. The most memorable event we had was probably the Fast-a-Thon during Ramadan, during which hundreds of non-Muslims fasted with us to raise money for Northwest Harvest. It was an awesome experience.”

As MSA president, Hatem said he aims to educate campus about the diversity of Islam.

“Muslims come in all colors, levels of religious adherence, all walks of life,” he said. “We come from Africa, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, converts, etc. Islam literally spans the globe. This is great, because if everybody was the same, we’d only see one angle of things. If we have a spectrum, we get many different of views. Thus, the beauty of diversity is that we’re always learning.”

Hatem also emphasized the importance of community service and outreach as a primary activity of the MSA. He said that while many MSA events are internal, everything is open door and non-Muslims are welcome.

“I hope we continue to reach out and give back to the community as a minority,” he said. “Really engaging and interacting with the campus community. I think it’s important that we continue to welcome all with open arms, while still holding true to our beliefs, reaching out to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. We’re very fortunate to go to school on a campus where people are very open-minded and personable.”

Reach reporter Katie Stapleton-Paff at features@thedaily.washington.edu.