About Al-Nur

Al-Nur (meaning “The Light” in Arabic) is the Muslim Student Association at Dartmouth College, established in the early 1980s, that aims to nourish the ambitions and needs of Muslim undergraduates, graduates, community members of the Upper Valley, and welcomes any other members of the Dartmouth community. Primarily, the activity of Al-Nur is driven by student motivation and creativity, and as such the nature of its undertakings takes on several forms from term to term, reflecting the renewed ideas and hopes of its members.

The Muslim Prayer Room, centrally located in North Fairbanks Hall, is used for various purposes—primarily for congregational prayers, such as Friday Jum'ah prayer services, and 'Ishaa and Fajr prayers. Students often stop by to offer their prayers throughout the day, or to spend some time reading.

Thayer Dining Hall is located nearby, and is home of the Pavilion, the halal and kosher dining area on campus. The creation of this establishment was initiated by members of Al-Nur and Hillel (the Jewish student association on campus) in 2005. The Pavilion is part of the Dartmouth Dining Plan and is open Monday - Friday, and has weekend hours on many holidays.

Al-Nur holds social events in addition to providing spiritual support for its members, through various activities—including group discussions, dinners, lectures with invited speakers—and through the presence of a Muslim Advisor. In the past, Al-Nur has had several part-time Muslim Advisors, most recently R. David Coolidge, who actively engaged the community in classes, dinners, talks, individual counseling, creative activities, retreats, and more. Starting Fall 2009, Al-Nur is welcoming and looking forward to working with full-time Advisor for Muslim Life and International Service and Education, Dawood Yasin.

Al-Nur is affiliated with the Tucker Foundation, the center for religious and spiritual life and service at Dartmouth, and members of Al-Nur frequently participate in interfaith activities and projects, such as Multi-Faith Council and charity or humanitarian aid projects cosponsored by other religious organizations on campus.

Al-Nur's Board consists of four undergraduates and one graduate student, and elections are held at the beginning of each term.

    The Summer 2009 board, through October 3rd, 2009, is:

        Farzeen Mahmud ’12 – President

        Tafaoul Abdelmagid ’11 – Vice President

        Ahmad Nazeri ’11 – Treasurer

        Ryan Akrami ’11 – Secretary

        Laura Yasaitis ’05 DMS ’14 – Graduate Representative

We welcome all Muslim and non-Muslim students to participate in Al-Nur and hope that you find this website helpful in obtaining a glimpse of the role of Al-Nur at Dartmouth and in the lives of its participants.

Want more information?  Read our Al Nur FAQs or Contact Us!

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