Kait Nash

Some students are preparing for the holy month of Ramadan on campus. As the campus gears up for this annual observance on the Islamic calendar, practicing students unite in a shared commitment to spirituality, community and reflection.
Ramadan, an Islamic holiday, occurs during the ninth month of the lunar calendar. Because the moon’s phases determine this calendar, there is no set start and end date, but this year, Ramadan is expected to begin around Sunday, March 10, and end on Tuesday, April 9.
Selma Moulai, sophomore biochemistry and molecular biology major, explained that Ramadan consists of fasting from all food and drink from sunrise to sunset every day. During this month, Muslims pray more, express thanks, seek forgiveness and give back to the community by contributing money and volunteering.
“I usually prepare for Ramadan by helping my mom cook food we will be eating during Ramadan. I also like to set goals for myself; for example, I want to read the Quran more during Ramadan,” Moulai wrote in an email. “Personally, my favorite part of Ramadan has to be the food! I love cooking and helping my mom make delicious dinners. The table is always full with our favorite food and the foods that we were craving all day.”
Melika Mohammed, junior accounting major and treasurer of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), likes to ensure she is prepared for Ramadan. This can consist of getting in a spiritual mentality and getting ready to fast.
“I try to fix my sleeping schedule, just to make sure I’m ready because [during Ramadan] I’m waking up earlier to eat [before sunrise]. I try to, maybe a few weeks before, start sleeping earlier, just so my body can get used to it, and I’m not compromising my sleep or anything like that,” Mohammed said. “I mean, obviously, the work doesn’t stop. I’m still going to class, I’m still taking exams and things. So I want to make sure I have enough energy to do all of that.”
Ramadan is a community and family-centered observance. Breaking the fast every night, called iftar, is a celebration done collectively with those observing around you. Before coming to Trinity, most students would celebrate every night with their families. When leaving for college, some Muslim students worry that they won’t have a community to break fast with during Ramadan. At Trinity, however, MSA plans iftars about two or three times a week. Mohammed, as the treasurer of MSA, oversees much of this planning with other MSA leadership.
“I think my first year I was kind of worried because there’s not a lot of Muslims on campus. But I feel like the funding that [MSA] gets from SGA has really helped us. Especially my freshman year, I was really surprised about how much I really enjoyed all of the iftars we had. We cater from halal restaurants in San Antonio, we bring the food here and we all eat together and we all break fast together, so I really enjoy that,” Mohammed said. “Other days where we don’t have those scheduled iftars, some of us try to eat together. I’m getting funding for HEB gift cards for MSA students to go off campus and buy food if they need to, or buy their own food to eat for the morning meals, and I am also organizing collaborative events with other cultural organizations on campus.”
Some observing Muslims on campus are also student-athletes. This can be particularly challenging, especially because the fast is from food and water each day. Bocar Diagana, sophomore accounting major, runs for Trinity’s track and field team.
“Track and field is mostly you know, conditioning and running. But it’s just that you can’t drink water while the sun is still up, and since it’s also during spring, it tends to get hot sometimes. So yeah, I would say it can be hard to just be able to gauge how you’re feeling during the day and preserve as much energy as you can,” Diagana said. “It is taxing physically and mentally, more than even just being in a sport and keeping up with the workouts and practice drills.”
Mohammed recommends that everyone, even those who aren’t Muslims or observing Ramadan, come to MSA’s community iftars. On March 18, Chaplain Usama from Muslim Space will give a presentation with Chapel Spiritual Life about Ramadan and practicing in general, and she recommends that all students and faculty attend as well.