ARTICLE BY AYA HUSSEIN
On March 23, Muslims began their daily fast for Ramadan, which is religiously significant due to it being the month when the Quran was sent down. This time represents a spiritual journey to maintain a positive attitude and understand the struggles of under-privileged people.
The Muslim Student Association at the University of Maryland, College Park planned iftars, meals after sunset for breaking fast, for anybody to join in.
These events are typically held at the STAMP Student Union on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays each week around 7 p.m. They could also be found at the Nyumburu Cultural Center or on the Washington Quad on campus.
MSA Vice President of Sisters Affairs and senior criminal justice major Sidra Nadeem, said that they offer water and dates for everyone to break their fast together. Then they all have catered meals, which include anything from falafels to chicken and rice platters.
“Half of it is Moby Dick’s from STAMP and half of it’s from Peri Peri,” Nadeem said. “People just like hanging around with their friends and breaking fast.”
Nadeem says that people who aren’t observing Ramadan are also welcome to join their Muslim friends in the event.
Another student, Nisa Baig, a junior economics major, says despite this being her first year at this university, she feels a sense of community with the other Muslim students she passes on campus.
“Every time I’ve passed [other] Muslim hijabis we’ll always smile at each other and say salam so it’s really nice,” Baig said.
Baig also explained the relationships she’s built with other Muslim students in the Musallah, which is the prayer room located in the Cole Field House.
“I don’t feel like there are cliques or anything. I don’t feel like ‘oh, I’m alone in the Musallah,’” Baig said. “I’m very comfortable going inside and sitting with everybody else even if I’m not talking to them. I’m very comfortable sitting next to someone I don’t know, or starting a conversation.”
Sophomore psychology major, Laila Syed said she was preparing to fast Ramadan seriously for the first time. She said that her friends in her dorm hall and elsewhere on campus encouraged and helped her get ready.
“I do feel a sense of community, but my sense of community is very spread out. I’m friends with a lot of individual people in different places,” Syed said. “Each of those friendships are very valuable to me.”
Nadeem explained how having MSA events during Ramadan plays an important role in making the campus feel more like a community, especially for students, like Syed, who live on campus.
“We’re just trying to figure out how to make it more of a community-centered campus for the people that are living on campus, because I know it’s really hard, living away from family during Ramadan,” Nadeem said. “It’s like the progress of getting there, and I think we’re pretty good at it right now.”
More information on how to get involved in MSA can be found in their GroupMe, which can be joined from their website. Announcements about upcoming events are also posted on their Instagram page: @umdmsa.