Tuesday marks the start of Ramadan for people who practice Islam, and Fresno State has some resources and events to offer for its students in honor of the holy month.
Ramadan is the Islamic holy month that marks a time of spiritualness and physical fasting for Muslims. They fast from sunrise to sunset, and then break their fast with friends and family during the ceremonial Iftar dinner, which is usually followed by prayer.
“Beyond fasting, Ramadan is really just a spiritual time for me,” said Alya Hassan, Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) senator for the College of Health and Human Services. “I always say it comes at the perfect time because it helps me tune back into my spiritual well-being. It helps me kind of reconnect with my faith.”
Ramadan goes from the evening of Feb. 17 to March 19. These dates change every year, following the lunar calendar. The crescent moon marks the start, as it signals a new month.
The month ends with Eid al-Fitr, a large festival that includes special prayers, festive meals and gift giving. This is celebrated by Muslims worldwide.
At Fresno State, a campus Iftar dinner is being held on Feb. 26 for students, faculty and staff.
“Having planned last year’s Iftar, the biggest thing that we wanted to emphasize is that this was planned by Muslim students, but it’s not for Muslim students,” Hassan said. “So exhibits and Iftar are things meant to teach people and non-Muslims what Ramadan is truly about and what Islam is about.”
The event is being put on by the Muslim Student Association (MSA), and this will be their third year organizing the dinner. The Collegian reached out to the MSA for comment, but they declined.
“This was also a space for us to kind of talk about Palestine as well,” Hassan said. “We talked about it during a speech during the last year of how important it was for us to recognize that it’s so much easier for us to participate in than it is for the people in Palestine.”
Narriman Kiran, a biochemistry student at Fresno State, attended last year’s Iftar dinner.
“I was still in between UC Merced and Fresno State,” Kiran said. “But then when I went to [last year’s campus Iftar dinner] it was just so beautiful, I really felt at home. And I was like, ‘I think I’m going to pick Fresno State.’”
The President’s Muslim Leadership Council has also created a Ramadan exhibit that will go from March 2-24 on the library’s second floor, north concourse.
“I really loved it,” Hassan said about the exhibit. “I think they did such an amazing job putting little objects that really resemble Islam and Ramadan in particular.”
To give students more information on Ramadan and Islam in general, the library also has an Islamophobia Awareness Resource Collection that contains books about politics, gender and general information surrounding Islam.
“Ramadan is a really special time centered on reflection, gratitude and community,” said ASI President Camalah Saleh. “Having these events on campus is important because it shows Muslim students like me that our faith is valued here. It also creates a space for us to share our traditions with others and build understanding across campus.”
