On March 19, the Muslim Student Association (MSA), in collaboration with Fresno State, hosted their second annual Iftar.
Iftar is a meal that is eaten after sunset and signifies the breaking of the daily fast during Ramadan.
“Ramadan is the holiest month for Muslims,” said Students for Palestinian Liberation (SPL) Vice President Rahaf Qutob. “It’s not only a time where we fast, it’s also where we dedicate our time to self-discipline; our prayers are accepted more.”
MSA President Rawan Kiran agreed that it was also time to look inward.
“It gives you a chance to really think about what you’re here for,” Kiran said. “Sometimes we get lost in our career, in whatever we’re doing, so it’s important to have that spiritual retreat every year.”
Held in the Smittcamp Alumni House’s courtyard, the MSA welcomed about 200 guests, their biggest turnout yet.
While this is the second Iftar to be held in collaboration with Fresno State, MSA had been hosting smaller ones throughout the years for students, faculty and alumni to join in breaking their fast.
But the road to getting the event to a bigger scale was a long one.
“Last year we had it here, it wasn’t as fancy, we did everything ourselves,” said MSA Vice President Raheem Saeed. “We woke up at 6 a.m., we went to the local mosque, my dad owns a trucking company and we trucked over all the tables and chairs. It was really grassroots.”
This year MSA worked with SPL, the president’s office, Associated Students Inc. (ASI) as well as off-campus Muslim-owned businesses like Sabaya Hut and Golden Grill.
“It’s really about that community outreach,” Saeed said. “And the journey to get here, it’s been a lot of stress, sleepless nights. We’ve really been putting our all into this.”
Saeed reflected on his gratitude for the growth in support for an on-campus Iftar that he’s been able to see.
“We got a lot of people coming out saying if you need anything let me know,” he said. “We saw that last year especially. A lot of people had never heard of it and all of a sudden they were like ‘if you need anything, let me know.’”
For all, having Iftar on campus was an opportunity for the community to come together.
“I think that’s what’s really important is being welcoming,” Kiran said. “The thing about Ramadan is that it makes you feel like you’re in community. So to have it on campus, it kind of fosters that community and it brings people who aren’t Muslim, who don’t know what this is all about, and it really allows us to share that with each other.”
The event created a space for Muslim students to showcase and share their culture.
“What’s diversity if we don’t have these events to share what our practices are with other students?” said SPL President Camalah Saleh. “I’ve been fasting since I was eight and I started wearing the hijab when I was thirteen so to be able to see that shared at a university is surreal.”
