Students Safa Jamal, Zareen Tasnim and Naiyyra Abdel Aziz met at the iCommunity Kickoff and Breakfast at the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year. Over fruit plates and bagels at the Husky Union Building, the Informatics majors were inspired to form a new student group.
At that event, Anind Dey, dean of the University of Washington Information School, spoke with the crowd of newly admitted students about the importance of welcoming people of all backgrounds.
“We got to hear a lot of leaders at the iSchool, such as Dean Dey and Cynthia del Rosario, talk about diversity initiatives,” Jamal said. “We learned about Winfo [Women in Informatics] and Binfo [Black in Informatics]. We realized that we belong to a group, and our identities were very visible.” As Muslims, the students were interested in forming an affinity group that would help build connections and develop career pipelines.
An event planned later that fall by Associate Professor Hala Annabi, the iSchool Arab Community Peace Gathering, further highlighted the importance of such a group to the student co-founders. Annabi, who specializes in inclusive learning organizations, among other topics, now serves as iMuslims’ department advisor.
With a population of over 1.5 billion worldwide, representing numerous denominations, Muslims are a significant and sometimes misunderstood faith community. The UW has a Muslim Student Association, and now students within Informatics can connect over their shared religion and culture as well.
An organized student group can also provide support and recommendations to the university, such as recent efforts to improve accommodations for students who fast during Ramadan.
iMuslims includes students who have been in Informatics from the beginning of their time at UW, as well as newer students. Razan Mansour (pictured above, at center) transferred into Informatics from Bellevue College in winter 2024 and had connected with iMuslims students previously. Getting involved with the group was an easy decision, she said, and helped smooth the transition when she began courses during winter quarter, when there are fewer opportunities to connect.
“It was very comforting coming in as a transfer student, knowing that UW has resources we can use to support each other,” Mansour said.
Mansour was elected to be the group’s Director of Finance, and she joined Heena Vahora, Director of Diversity Outreach, and co-presidents Tasnim (pictured at right) and Jamal (pictured at left) as some of the group’s initial leaders. iMuslims and its events are open to any students who are interested in Informatics, tech and business. The current student leaders are all Informatics majors.
Co-president Jamal said, “We belong to a group that’s often put into a box or subjected to misinformation and prejudice. And so we felt that as information leaders, it’s really important for us to find a community to connect with and to navigate an industry where we’re often subjected to that type of misinformation and stereotyping.”
Through gathering and mutual support, members of the group are able to dispel stereotypes and build strong networks across different class years of iSchool students.
“I want to inspire more Muslim students to kind of get out of constraining themselves to one career path and explore those other paths,” Tasnim said. Once a pre-med student, she found herself drawn to design and Informatics and switched majors. She encourages students to learn more about the information field.
“Now that we’ve established a community, I want to see iMuslims expand and make an impact, not only at UW, but for the larger community in the area.”
As a growing community, iMuslims has already made a positive impact at the iSchool and in the Informatics program.
Mansour said that when she participated in the Hack for Social Good with several other members of iMuslims, they had an opportunity to share about their group with a different audience. “It made me realize just how much potential we have to make a difference outside of our usual spaces,” she said.
The students noted that iSchool leadership, including Nassim Parvin, were all supportive and helpful in navigating the process to start a new Registered Student Organization at the University. Parvin is the school’s associate dean for inclusion, diversity, equity, access and sovereignty (IDEAS).
“I've been very proud of the group,” Parvin said. “They really took ownership, took leadership, and took the vision to heart. They are building connections and resilience.”
According to Jamal, the goal of the club is “really to provide a safe space for underrepresented groups to navigate the tech field. And I think a lot of our members have intersectional identities. We’re not just Muslim. We’re Black, we’re women, we come from different origins. That’s something that really stood out to us, to make sure everybody felt included.”
iMuslims hosts monthly events. One highlight was a session with iSchool guest faculty member Samantha Harris, who spoke with the students about career pathways in product management. iMuslims also collaborated with Muslims in Public Health, Muslims of Allen, and Muslims in Business at UW to host a bowling social event and make connections across schools and majors.
Creating strong intergenerational professional networks and facilitating career opportunities for students is also a key goal of the group. This past spring they hosted a panel discussion called “,” bringing recent iSchool alumni back to campus to connect with current Informatics majors.
The group recently to the Seattle offices of Hiya, an international company that offers branded calling technology, spam blocking and other features. Students of all identities attended and enjoyed learning about new aspects of working in tech careers, Tasnim said.
“Now that we’ve established a community, I want to see iMuslims expand and make an impact, not only at UW, but for the larger community in the area,” Jamal said. “That could be done through mentorship, and hosting events for high school students, and really just trying to expand our reach in that sense.”
Many group members are first-generation college students, and they hope to use that personal experience to help the organization grow and support students from all backgrounds.
Tasnim noted that all of the group’s current leaders are seniors, and they’re getting ready to pass the baton to fellow students. “I want to see underclassmen take this club to the next level,” she said. “After graduation, I hope to leave while staying connected to the web of connections I’ve built and watch it continue to grow and expand.”