Spring Break
Ramadan celebrated by students at ECU
Annual Fast-a-Thon to occur next Monday
Alison Killy
Issue date: 9/17/08 Section: Features
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Sponsored by the Muslim Student Association and the Student Activities Board, the banquet will feature Saeed Dar, who will speak about Ramadan and begin the event with a prayer. Food will be provided, but limited to the first 150 participants.
According to the Islamic faith, the observance of Ramadan is the celebration of the month when Allah was revealed through the first verses of the Qur'an. Through fasting and abstaining from "impure" activities during the daylight hours, Muslims seek to purify their bodies and minds.
"On the day of the FAT, each student will go about their day like normal, minus eating, drinking, smoking, sexual activities, talking about people, losing your temper, cursing … basically, any mischief," said Rania Issa, president of the ECU Muslim Student Association.
From dawn until sunset, participants in Ramadan are not allowed to eat or drink. After sunset, Muslims participating in the FAT are given a meal called "iftar" and another called "suhoor," before sunrise during the fast. It is also common for Muslims to pray for several hours each day during Ramadan. A special prayer called "Taraweeh" is said in addition to the regular prayers.
FAT is not just for followers of Islam; all students are encouraged to join in.
"Everyone from any background is welcome to participate and to tell their friends to do so as well," said Yazid Al-Fayyad, the cultural awareness chair of the Student Activities Board.
For those that deem themselves religious, the celebration can be used to reflect on blessings and clearing the mind and body of "worldly" things. If you do not consider yourself to be a religious person, abstinence from certain activities can still be practiced in an effort to learn empathy.
"Daily, around the world, non-Muslims and others go without food," Al-Fayyad said. "We perceive food as something that is always available to us, and to have to go without it for more than 12 hours by our own doing is quite an experience."
Issa hopes that those who attend, religious or not, will learn more about the holiday, sacrifices and gains that are made during the entire month.
"I hope to lead a discussion, where the participants share their day, experience and feelings on what they gained from the fast," Issa said.
The fasting and abstaining will begin on Sept. 22 starting at exactly 5:49 a.m. and ending at 7:06 p.m. The actual Fast-a-Thon event is free and will begin at 7 p.m. in the Multi-purpose room of Mendenhall Student Center.
This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.
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