At Eagan High School, many Muslim students are uniting to establish a Muslim Students Association, or MSA. The students believe that there should be a club unifying the Muslim community.

Currently, a group of students, including sophomores Zahra Mustafa and Naseer Folson, are working on MSA’s formation. The club wouldn’t have restrictions or a general leader, adhering to the idea of a basic Islamic Community, where everyone is united together.

The students hope to address a variety of issues like present-day Islamophobia, the fear of Muslims and their religion. They also plan to facilitate a Friday prayer, called a Jummah prayer, where they spend 15 minutes out of their school day to complete the obligatory afternoon prayer. After school, all the members would meet for the additional Friday sermon.

The goal is to discuss Islamic manners and the Islamic way of life while keeping the association open to visitors. “We don’t plan to convert anyone,” explains Mustafa. “Islam is a religion and you don’t have to be Muslim to learn about it,” Folson elaborates.

Within District 196, sites such as Apple Valley High School have already started to make accommodations for Muslim students. Will the trend spread to Eagan?