Students celebrate end of Ramadan

Between sunrise to sunset, College senior Hadi Kaakour’s typical summer day was similar to that of many Penn students — waking up, heading off to a research job and spending time with friends. One thing it did not contain, however, is food.

Kaakour is one of many Muslim students who observed Ramadan on campus. A month-long celebration which ended on Tuesday, Ramadan involved fasting during the day and sharing a meal with family and friends at night.

“Ramadan is a time for devotion and reflection — at home, people get together with their family, and at Penn, friends will eat together,” said College junior Umar Sheikh, a board member of Programs in Religion, Interfaith and Spirituality Matters — Penn’s interfaith umbrella organization.

Because Ramadan falls on different dates each year according to the lunar calendar, this year the holiday ended before students return to campus.

The timing has posed a challenge for the Muslim Students Association. “In past years, MSA would host meals every night to break the fast. It was a great opportunity for community-building and getting to know freshmen,” said College senior and Muslim Students Association President Sarah Ijaz, adding that members are “definitely conscious of this — we want to show new students that we have a community.”

The MSA plans to host a banquet or barbecue to celebrate the Eid holiday, which marks the end of fasting, once more Muslim students return to Penn.

Although no formal MSA events were organized during the summer, students within the Muslim community still reached out to one another to observe the holiday together. According to Sheikh, several local restaurants such as Desi Chaat House and Sitar India took the holiday into account by staying open for those breaking the fast and serving dates, a food traditionally eaten during the holiday. In addition, several Penn students took advantage of evening meals hosted by the Drexel MSA to break the fast.

In past years, the Undergraduate Assembly also worked with Penn Dining Services to provide Muslim students with boxed meals at night to eat the next day prior to sunrise. The program was not continued this summer because of the holiday’s timing.

“I would wake up around 4:15 every morning to eat breakfast before sunrise, then head off to work right away, so it was pretty tough,” Kaakour said.

“The first few days of fasting are difficult, but you get used to it, especially when you’re doing it with your friends and family,” Ijaz said.

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