MSA holds community iftars for Ramadan

As the sun sets, fasting Muslims everywhere gaze at their phones with eager anticipation as they wait for the clock to strike, signaling the Maghrib call to prayer — the moment to finally break their fast. 

Ramadan is a holy month in the Islamic lunar calendar in which Muslims abstain from food and water from sunrise to sunset. All the hours in between are spent connecting with God, working on self-control and spirituality. A part of Ramadan is Zakat, which is the act of giving to charity. 

“There's a big mental side to [fasting], it's really just putting discipline into a lot of aspects into your life, not just not eating,” Shuaa Omer, first-year representative for the Muslim Student Association at UNC, said. 

At Venable Hall, Frank Porter Graham Student Union or other venues on campus, the MSA holds iftars almost every night of Ramadan, giving the student body a place to break their fast among peers. 

After the food has been passed around and the prayer has been led, the MSA cleans up their space and donates what they have left over to a local shelter down MLK Boulevard.

Zakat, like fasting, is one of the pillars of Islam. It is believed that during the month of Ramadan, there is a higher spiritual weight to any action made during this time, including duaa — praying to God with intent purpose. 

While there are many reasons to anticipate the month, one of the lighter parts of it is the food. The MSA has even had the local community play a hand, as Omer said that some aunties have sponsored iftars by providing food for those in attendance. 

“Her mom recently passed away, so she thought that sponsoring this iftar and making food for everyone would be a really good way to honor her mom, and she asked us all, while we were breaking our fast to just make duaa for her mom, which I thought was really beautiful,” Omer said of one community member who brought food. 

For Omer, one of her favorite Ramadan delicacies is lugaimat, or zalabia, which are Sundanese donut-like sweets covered in coconut flakes and syrup. She also said that she enjoys a variety of cultural sweets after iftar, including baklava, basbousa and rice pudding. 

Muslims tend to break their fast with dates. This non-mandatory act is known as a Sunnah, or preferred practice, as Muslims are encouraged to do as the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) did during his time said Youssef Carter, an assistant professor of religious studies at UNC and the faculty advisor for MSA.  

Fasting is the only obligation of the month, however, the spiritual aspects of the month includes being mindful of all parts of life, what people say or the media they consume, said Carter. He said there are many wonderful traditions and effects of fasting during the holy month, but it's important to remember what the practice is for.

"There's a kind of an energy and electricity and a joy and whatnot, but there are also those aspects of an intentional consideration of one's solitary relationship with God, an individual relationship with God that each and every person has," he said. "Because fasting is the only thing that's solely for him."

Nawfal Mohamed, the president of MSA, said that this time of year is when most of the people in attendance truly get to know each other, as the consistent presence in each other's lives bonds them in ways other events during the year don't. 

“More than just providing food, it kind of provides a means for community within our campus,” Mohamed said. “A lot of times when people come to UNC, they come without their family near them, and living on campus or an apartment, and what makes Ramadan is being there with your family. But then when that's taken away from you, you need a replacement for that. And that's kind of where these community iftars come into place.” 

Muslims all over the world pray towards the Kaaba, which is known as the House of God.  This simple act of facing the same way is intended to foster a sense of connectivity in a similar way that sharing the act of breaking a fast does. 

“One of the interesting things about participating in breaking fast at the masjid is that you're next to other people who are excited about Ramadan and are basking in the light and the majesty and the blessing that Ramadan is,” Carter said. 

Carter said even though Ramadan is about God and religion, there is a byproduct of looking at the life you have and seeing how you can change, and being closer to the people around you.

Both Omer and Mohamed highlighted how welcoming the MSA is and reassuring to young Muslim students who miss home, family and community, that there are people holding space for them. 

"We're very diverse, so we definitely like to have these iftars every night together," Omer said. "And sometimes the iftars are cultural foods, and sometimes they're other stuff, but we're very welcoming. We have people from — even non-Muslims sometimes — coming to eat iftar with us. And I think we're very open, it's very easy to just come to an event and talk to everyone."

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