In celebration of the month of Ramadan, the Muslim Student Association is planning to host several iftars for the Trinity community. On March 3, MSA and Chapel Spiritual Life hosted the first iftar of the month.
At this event, Usama Malik, the religious life advisor for Muslim students at Trinity, gave a presentation about Ramadan to teach attendees about Islamic practices. At sunset, MSA passed around dates and water to break the fast and invited students to leave for a community prayer before eating food from India Palace.
Maria Kaisses, sophomore psychology major and MSA outreach coordinator, described the motivation behind this annual event. For Kaisses, these iftars give her a space to commemorate with fellow Trinity Muslim students during a time meant for community.
“I definitely can get really lonely being a Muslim student at Trinity fasting, because that’s usually a time when everybody breaks their fast with their families. There is a lot of emphasis on communities during that time of month,” Kaissi said. “I feel like it’s a really great way to not only teach people about what Ramadan is and why we fast but also to create that community that we have here among other students.”
While MSA hosted the event for Muslim students, they encouraged anyone interested in learning more about Islam to stop by. Anthonia Ogbo, sophomore psychology and Spanish double-major, came to the event with this intent.
“I wanted to learn more about Ramadan. I have friends who practice Ramadan, so I feel like it would be nice to know more and get to know the history behind it,” Ogbo said. “It was really to expand my knowledge and learn how I can support my friends who do practice Ramadan.”
Ogbo came with her friend Danielle Semine, sophomore neuroscience major. Semine explained that she also attended this event to gain knowledge about Ramadan. Additionally, she hoped to learn how to better support her Muslim friends.
“There are so many student-led events that are made for the purpose of trying to educate other students but also foster community,” Semine said. “So, anytime there is an opportunity to come and learn more about other cultures and religions or practices and beliefs, I see it as a great opportunity to come and support my friends.”
During his presentation, Malik asked participants multiple choice questions about Ramadan. He specifically asked non-Muslim students to answer. Malik explained his motivation for the event and presentation.
“This is something that [everybody] should feel invited to, whether with curiosity, or if they are hungry or whatever it might be. This is a time of the month that is reflective of a faith and a community of observers of the Islamic faith,” Malik said. “The biggest part of that is, apart from this mindfulness of God, this mindfulness of one another and coming together as a community.”
As an annual collaboration, MSA and CSL made this year’s event the kick-off iftar. Chaplain Alex Serna-Wallender described why the event is important to him.
“It is always a beautiful opportunity to learn from others and about others’ traditions,” Serna-Wallender said. “It is really important to be able to support students in their spiritual explorations and rituals.”
While this was the first iftar of the month, MSA will be partnering with other Trinity organizations, including the South Asian Student Association and the Vietnamese Student Association, for future iftars over Ramadan. Malik said he hopes these events will help acquaint the Trinity community with Islam in a fun, approachable way.
“It would be my hope that anybody, whether they came to this event or not, whether they are Muslim or they are not, would come to see both the month of Ramadan as well as the wider Muslim community and Islamic faith as one that is approachable and accessible, as one they are able to learn about or participate in or be a part of,” Malik said.
