Ramadan leaves non-Muslim students hungry for info

By: Alyssa Carroll

Posted: 9/4/08

The Muslim holiday of Ramadan began this week on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Though approximately one-fifth of the world's population is Muslim, many people are unfamiliar with the history and culture behind this holiday.

According to the Encarta encyclopedia, "Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, is the holy month of fasting for adult Muslims because the Qur'an (Koran) was first revealed to Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, during this month."

According to the Qur'an, the sacred scripture of Islam, Allah requires believers to fast during Ramadan so that they "may cultivate piety." Fasting is also intended to promote self-discipline and spiritual awareness, while helping believers overcome faults such as selfishness and greed.

For practicing Muslims, according to www.holidays.net, "the fast is observed each day from sunrise to sunset. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five Pillars of Islam, the Islamic belief that requires that Muslims perform five central duties in order to strengthen their faith. Ramadan concludes with a 3-day festival known as "Eid" or "Eid ul-Fitr."

Rohail Majid, a 1st-semester chemistry and political science major and president of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at UConn, is a practicing Muslim who is currently working the observance of Ramadan into his campus life.

"The only problem I have right now, is waking up at 3:00 a.m. [one of the only allowed times to eat between sunset and sunrise]. This is a problem for many other Muslim students as well," said Majid. "Not eating is sort of difficult. Some students have trouble making the bus schedules or have classes on the other side of campus and the lack of food and water really gets to them. But you know, we manage."

The MSA will be holding a Fast-A-Thon event for non-Muslim students to fast for a day, to experience life as a Muslim student. The event will be held from sunrise to sunset on Sept. 18, and will end with a meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the Rome Ballroom. The meeting will include a presentation by speaker Dr. Ahmad Eldridge Cleaver, the author of "Soul on Islam."

So how does UConn accommodate it's Muslim students? "We started the Halal station at Gelfenbien about two years ago. It is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and follows the dietary laws for Muslims," Tracey Roy, the area manager of the Gelfenbein Commons (Towers) dining hall, said. "For Ramadan we worked with the Muslim center and student requests and we are providing meals to the Muslim Center and individual students in place of meals in the dining hall." Approximately 50 students have signed up.

Students who need accommodations for Ramadan should call 426-0703 for information.