The
Muslim Students' Association of Hawaii was originally composed of students from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. They were members of the
East West Center and came from various parts of the world:
India,
Pakistan,
Afghanistan,
Indonesia,
Malaysia and from the
Middle East. They prayed at a cottage in the East West center prior to the purchase of the Manoa building, which became the Muslim Association of Hawaii in 1990. It was the first organization to represent Hawaii's Muslim population.
Mohammad Asad Khan was a founding member of the Muslim Students' Association. In 1979, the MSA
incorporated becoming the first official organization to represent Muslims in Hawaii. The group helped form the mosque, which is near the
University of Hawaii. The majority of Muslim converts in Hawaii are military personnel. == Financial support ==