I Am A Muslim American

Myname is Khalafalla Osman. I am a Muslim American, and I have been privilegedwith the honor to serve the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at my localuniversity as president for two terms. The purpose of MSAs around the country is to make the university a friendlier and more hospitable environment forMuslim students, especially those living on campus.

Beinga Muslim American is challenging, especially when it comes to food. Halal consciousMuslims know the struggle of trying to maintain a permissible diet. Every time we want to purchase a food item we haveno choice but to read through a long list of ingredients. We find ourselves stumblingacross half intelligible words we’ve never seen before. “Xan-than gum?” “Mal-to-dex-trin?”.Then it’s off to google to find out if it is halal to consume, only to find outthat our favorite pastry, or chewing gum has a pork derivative, or beef fat extracts.

Duringmy term, students on campus confided in me and others on the executive board abouttheir concerns regarding the extreme lack of halal food options on campus. Iwanted to change that experience, and with the guidance and grace of Allah ﷻ alhamdulillah, our administration wasable to accomplish just that.

Ourteam convened and ultimately decided to schedule a meeting with the leadershipin charge of dining services on campus. We addressed these students’ concerns,and the university responded by inviting us all to a free catered halal meat dinnerby their food providers. This was a significant milestone in our administrationshard work and effort. By the grace of Allah, we were able to give our Muslimstudent body access to food compliant with Islamic dietary standards.

Thiswas the day that opened the doors to future milestones like raising thousandsof dollars to fund huge trips to Islamic conferences in the American east coast,and getting more space for our daily prayers. I came to the realization that Ihad a voice, and a methodology that worked which could help Muslim studentsall over the country.

Thatis why I am honored to serve as one of the representatives at Halal Watch World,an organization that for nearly 30 years has been an advocate for those whoneed a voice. In reality, this is merely a continuation of the work I did at myuniversity. Halal Watch World gained its roots advocating for incarcerated Muslimpeoples, from providing Quran’s to prayer beads, to Halal Foods. Theorganization seeks to widen its branches by highlighting the troubles ourconstituents face.

Asa former MSA President, and recent college graduate, I know the hardships our highschoolers, undergrad students, and graduates face. These are trying times, and these challenges onlydeepen when we don’t have a friend in our corner. Insha’allah, we intend to bethat friend wherever you happen to be.

Ipray that I can be a strong voice for our brothers and sisters in publicinstitutions across the country. We can only be successful with the help ofAllah, and with your dua. - KO