"
"
Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims worldwide, where they abstain from food and water from sunrise to sunset. During this time, college students often struggle to find ways to break their fast alone. Aysha Gsibat, a sophomore at Pomona College, remembers rushing to grab food from the dining hall before breaking her fast alone in her dorm room. Freshman Ismail Kavuran, an international student at Harvey Mudd College, worried he would spend Ramadan alone. But this year, they and other Muslim students at the Claremont Colleges have come together almost every weeknight for iftar, breaking their fasts in community. The dining staff at the Claremont Colleges has laid out elaborate banquets for students to accommodate their fasting and provide authentic meals.
Shia and Sunni Muslims, groups that have historically had a tense relationship, have spent the holy month sharing meals and prayers in campus dining halls, with those covering their heads alongside those without. UC Berkeley and UCLA have also expanded their services to accommodate Muslim students, while USC began offering students to-go meals for suhoor last year.
Ramadan represents the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the dates vary each year. Muslim students at the Claremont Colleges come from different backgrounds and regions, including Indonesia, Syria, Turkey, the Palestinian territories, and Somalia. This year, the campus dining halls have expanded meal options and hours to host iftar dinners every weekday at a different undergraduate college dining hall to serve the Muslim community.
Last year, students had to put together iftar meals on their own, but this year, the dining services team extended their hours to accommodate students who are fasting during Ramadan. This is the first time that all the colleges have acknowledged Ramadan, and they are learning. On the weekends, Shaila Andrabi, the coordinator of Muslim life at Claremont Colleges, orders catered food and prepares fruit salads at her home with the help of students. This year, Muslim students have found a way to celebrate Ramadan in community despite the pandemic and physical distance.
Extracted from: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-04-17/in-a-first-the-claremont-colleges-expand-dining-hall-hours-to-celebrate-ramadan
