Review

Courtesy Vaishnavi Peyyty April 13th, 2022 - the Iftar Dinner hosted by the International Studies Department and the Coordinator of Community & Interfaith Programs, Casey Overton, featured meals from across the globe.

Vaishnavi Peyyety

Red & Black contributor

On Apr. 13, Washington & Jefferson College hosted an Iftar Dinner and lecture to celebrate Ramadan, a holy tradition in Islam. This event was coordinated by the International Studies department and Coordinator of Community & Interfaith Progreams Casey Overton. Many students who attended learned about why Ramadan is celebrated and ate delicious food - including kofta, dates, watermelon, naan, vegetables, tofu and baklava.

Dr. Buba Misawa also invited an Imam (a title for a leader at a mosque) who talked about this holy tradition. He described how Ramadan is celebrated by Muslims so that they can connect to God Allah. Essentially, in the Quran, Allah told Muslims that they must fast during this month according to the lunar calendar. They fast from sunrise to sunset; they can break their fast at 8 p.m. and continue eating before their first prayer in the morning. Most Muslims break their fast by eating dates or drinking water. The Imam also mentioned that if you fast for Ramadan you can do anything, since it takes a great deal of patience and dedication to refrain from drinking water, eating food and partaking in sexual relations for this time period. It also helps people become more appreciative of what they have and makes the months that Ramadan is not celebrated all the more joyous. Several students asked questions about Ramadan, including one student who asked about the Imam’s most difficult experience with resisting food during the tradition. He recalled a time when his cousin offered him candy and he ate it, breaking his fast and feeling guilty afterwards.

The religious leader also talked about how Muslims can make up for days that they missed fasting. For example, women do not fast on their period, so they make up those days later on in the year. The last ten days of Ramadan are especially important, as Muslims engage in intense prayer from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. The last and final celebration is Eid, where there is a huge feast to celebrate the end of the month of fasting and to spend time with loved ones. Overall, this event was very insightful and the food was fantastic!