Prayer Spaces on Campus:
Programs for 2026-2027 Academic Year
Jumuah Prayer (During the school year)
- Fridays at 1:10 p.m. in the Main Chapel
Qur’an Study Classes (During the school year)
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- Learn how to read Qur’an (beginner level), improve your reading skills (intermediate level), learn and practice tajweed rules (advanced level), engage in a hifz/memorization program, or the basics of understanding Qur’anic text.
- Please email Chaplain Hamza for details at mhgursoy@syr.edu.
Seerah Classes (During the school year)
- Instruction about the life of the prophet, Muhammad (pbuh).
- Email mhgursoy@syr.edu to learn how to participate!
Tafsir Class
Thursday afternoons (During the school year)
Online
Email mhgursoy@syr.edu for more info!
About
The office of Muslim Student Life at Syracuse University, also known as the Muslim Chaplaincy, is about support for Muslim students, faculty, and staff in all religious and spiritual needs for development and growth. It is about accommodation, openness, and understanding — not judgment or restriction. It aims to improve understanding and representation of Muslim cultures and communities here in the US and worldwide through sharing our universal values with people of faith and no faith. All SU and SUNY-ESF students are welcome to attend MSA events.
Muslim Student Life supports the work of the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA), a registered student organization (RSO), and a religious group of Hendricks Chapel, run by student leaders and advised by the SU Muslim Chaplain. Some of the MSA initiatives are focused on:
- Social and cultural events celebrating diversity within the Muslim campus community
- Discussions on challenges and opportunities facing Muslim students
- Daily and Jumuah prayers
- Islamic education programs
- Iftars (breaking the fast meals) during Ramadan
- Collaboration on humanitarian projects
- Interfaith discussions
Follow our Facebook & Instagram Pages and bulletin boards for programs, events, and more info!
Instagram: @muslimstudentlife and @syracusemsa
Muslim Students Association (MSA):
The Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) is a registered student organization (RSO) and a religious group of Hendricks Chapel run by student leaders elected annually. The MSA builds and maintains a community for Muslims at Syracuse University and introduces Islamic cultures, heritage, and values to understand and enrich human values. All SU and SUNY-ESF students are welcome to attend MSA events.
Along with the Muslim Chaplaincy of Hendricks Chapel, MSA educates the campus community on Islam and contemporary Muslim issues, facilitates services like Jumuah, Taraweeh, and Eid prayers at Hendricks Chapel, offers Ramadan iftars and Eid celebrations, and advocates for the accommodations and needs of Muslim students on campus including prayer rooms, ablution/wudu’ stations, halal food in dining halls, and Muslim friendly recreational facilities.
Visit the MSA website or social media accounts @syracusemsa, and reach out via email at msaatsu@gmail.com.
Contact
Imam Hamza Gürsoy
Chaplain
Advisor, Muslim Student Association
Muslim Student Life
mhgursoy@syr.edu
224.382.1206
Imam Hamza Gürsoy is the Muslim Chaplain at Hendricks Chapel, Syracuse University, where he serves as advisor for the Muslim Student Association. Originally from Bursa, Turkey, Chaplain Gürsoy previously served as a chaplain at Swedish Hospital in Chicago and as an Islamic Studies teacher at the Science Academy of Chicago. He holds a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Chicago Theological Seminary and two bachelor’s degrees in Islamic Sciences from the American Islamic College of Chicago and Bedir University of Tirana, Albania. Gürsoy is passionate about teaching religious studies, ethics, spiritual development, and fostering meaningful connections through faith-based counseling and mentorship.
Chaplain Hamza is available for drop-in office hours on the following days (during the school year):
Tuesdays from 2-4 pm
Wednesdays from 2-4 pm
Thursdays from 2-4 pm