Local chapters are only loosely connected with the parent institution, and often take different names, such as "Islamic Students Association", or "Muslim Discussion Group".

[3][4][5] The initial leadership primarily came from Arabic-speaking and Urdu-speaking members,[5] with guidance from students of the Egyptian-based Muslim Brotherhood and Pakistan-based Jamaat-e-Islami Islami movements.

[3] In 1994, after nearly 12 years of being virtually defunct, MSA National's leadership held a first-ever strategic planning retreat at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, bringing 27 undergraduate and graduate students from around the US and Canada together.

Nearly all of the 27 students were born or raised in the US and Canada, and were of the next generation of North American Muslims, signifying a radical shift in MSA National's future direction.

From 1994 onward, MSA National held conferences on college campuses, convention centers and mosques around the US and Canada, with no guidance and direction from any other group or organization.

[3][9] Activities include prayer times, lectures, discussion, and social events, and seek to unify Muslim students from different cultural backgrounds.

During this week, each MSA offers information through a variety of resources and organizes activities in order to promote an understanding of Islamic principles and ideals.

Activities may include speeches given by prominent Muslim figures, interactive games, movie showings, or a night of Islamic entertainment and traditional ethnic dinners.

[13] Suspected al-Qaeda member Aafia Siddiqui was active in the MSA at MIT when she attended there in the 1990s and was known for participating in charity for Islamic organizations.

At MIT, several of the MSA's most active members followed the teachings of Abdullah Azzam, a Muslim Brother who was Osama bin Laden's mentor."

In rationalizing their monitoring activities, the NYPD noted they followed the same rules as the FBI, but several civil rights organizations argued that they engaged in unconstitutional racial and religious profiling and spying without evidence against individuals.

In one monitoring incident, a conference which was to be attended by MSA students included Siraj Wahaj, a prominent but controversial New York imam who has attracted the attention of authorities for years.

[24][25] According to the ACLU, as a result of ongoing spying through undercover police and informants, the covert program introduced distrust of law enforcement and a culture of community fear and stigma.