UNSWMSA is an organisation comprised of Muslim students on campus who seek to organise events, materials and discussion for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It seeks to enhance the knowledge of Islam present in the campus community as well as providing an outlet for activities and events that discuss general and current issues related to Islam and Muslims. UNSWMSA, formerly known as IAFUNSW, was est
ablished in October 2012 with the constitutional aims of:
- Organising events for non-Muslim audiences that seek to distil a clearer understanding of Islam, to dispel negative stereotypes, to increase wider knowledge of Islam and to encourage a more reasoned and learned enquiry into Islam
- Arranging reading materials, information stalls and other mediums at campus which facilitate appropriate discourse
- Organising events for Muslim students on campus in order to promote the pursuit of knowledge regarding Islam, thereby encouraging an atmosphere of engagement between Muslim and non-Muslim students on campus
- Facilitating discourse between Muslim students and the wider community on issues affecting the Muslims locally and globally
- Fostering, at all times, an environment of critical thinking, reasoned discussion and respectful discourse on campus both between Muslims and non-Muslims as well as among Muslim students
UNSWMSA had its application for affiliation with ARC approved in December 2012 and has been working hard to best deliver events and initiatives to fulfil its objectives. The need for UNSWMSA is great with the large Muslim population on campus along with a general lack of understanding about Islam throughout the wider campus. UNSWMSA encourages everyone, Muslims and Non-Muslims alike, to attend our events on a regular basis with a wide variety of regular events providing something for everyone. UNSWMSA acknowledges the Islamic Society of the University of New South Wales (ISOC UNSW) as the premier organisation representing Muslim students, providing services such as prayer facilities, Friday prayers, charity fundraisers and many other events. UNSWMSA innately has different objectives to ISOC UNSW and hence different focuses in events, though we openly invite co-operation and collaboration.