MSA party draws crowd

Muslim Student Alliance sponsors Henna Night

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Muslim Student Alliance (MSA) hosted a Henna Night party on April 20 in the Gallagher Center Multi-Purpose Room.

The party was the final MSA event of the semester. This organization seeks to bring the NU campus community together and provide a supportive environment for Muslim students. The group welcomes students of different backgrounds and faiths and aims to create an atmosphere of tolerance and respect at NU.

Malika Kalila, the Public Relations Coordinator of the MSA, is an international student studying communications at NU. In addition to planning Henna Night, she has also been involved in other MSA events, including a series of Tea Talks that were created to inform students about certain aspects of Islamic culture. Tea Talk topics included “What is Ramadan?” and “Women in Islam.” Professors and special guest speakers were invited to lead discussions on these important topics and questions were encouraged.

“Our goal is to get all Niagara members, students and staff, to come together and explore the cultures of different countries,” Kalila stated. “It is also to provide dialogue. In the U.S., it’s a bit hard to break all the stereotypes. Here, we want to show what our culture is and educate the Niagara community by providing some fun events.”

Henna Night drew many students, who lined up to get Henna done by a professional artist. Pizza and international dishes were served. There was also a presentation given that provided information on the significance of Henna in various cultures.

“We wanted our closing event to be special,” Kalila stated. “We wanted it to be something interesting and colorful. Henna is very popular in Middle Eastern culture, so we decided to teach students more about it. We also wanted to include music and food, and to just provide a place where we can celebrate some traditions together.”
The MSA is a very valuable part of the NU community. After a productive semester of successful events, they plan on continuing their work in the fall.