Ramadan, a holy month of reflection and prayer, is an annual holiday on the Islamic calendar. This year, the holiday will begin the evening of Feb. 28 and end on March 29. With the help of groups such as the Muslim Student Association and U.Va. Dine, students have worked to create a community where those observing the holiday feel supported, such as through offering dining accommodations and hosting meals to break fast as a group.
Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, is a month of fasting from sunrise to sunset. Ibrahim Ahmed, Muslim Students Association president and fourth-year College student, described the holiday as a fresh start and an opportunity to push yourself by fasting.
“You kind of push yourself a little bit harder, and try doing things that maybe you don't do normally,” Ahmed said. “You try picking up new habits, and [Ramadan] kind of serves as a reset for the rest of the year.”
Fourth-year College student Nazifa Rahman, who has also celebrated Ramadan each of her years at the University, expressed appreciation for the sense of community with Muslims across the world fasting creates.
“You stop eating at sunrise, and you eat again at sunset. And that is the collective experience of Muslims around the world,” Rahman said. “It's so amazing to see how we come together and we're so much stronger.”
This year and to better accommodate fasting students, U.Va. Dine will feature a new buffet option at Za’atar at The Castle with hours which reflect the fasting period, according to a statement from U.Va. Dine to The Cavalier Daily. In past years, only a pre-packaged meal was offered, but the new system allows for students to further customize their meals based on personal preference with an option to get hot food from the buffet to eat at Za’atar. Students can use the GrubHub app as a meal swipe and once in the buffet line they can choose any items they would like.
Pre-dawn meals, known as suhoor, and meals to break the fast, known as iftar, will be provided at the buffet each of the 30 days of Ramadan. Before daylight savings time on March 9, Za’atar will be open from 4:30 to 6:30 a.m. for suhoor and from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. for iftar. After March 9, it will be open from 5 to 7 a.m. for suhoor and from 6 to 10 p.m. for iftar. Za’atar will also continue to operate during normal daytime hours for students who are not fasting.
“The suhoor and iftar meals are open to all students who wish to partake, providing a communal space where they can gather during Ramadan,” according to the statement from U.Va. Dine. “Students can conveniently order their meal through GrubHub, making the process easy and accessible for everyone.”
According to U.Va. Dine, suhoor and iftar meals to be offered at Za’atar have been thoughtfully selected by a dining team including executive chefs, managers and a dietitian, with the goal of creating a menu that reflects the traditions of Ramadan. The menu was built to include nourishing and energizing food options which sustain students during their fast, including classic Ramadan foods such as dates and soup, as well as a variety of main courses and desserts.
In years past, Ahmed has found that U.Va. Dine has continued to improve in their accommodations for students observing Ramadan.
“[U.Va. has] really been able to step up their game when it comes to providing the early-dawn meal … and also the meal that we use to break the fast,” Ahmed said. “They've been really accommodating when it comes to that, getting input from students and putting together a system that works.”
Ahmed noted a benefit of this year’s system, as opposed to boxed meals provided in the past, is the reduction of food waste.
“Last year with the pre-made meals, there’d be some items which students might not eat,” Ahmed said. “But with this [new] system, it helps mitigate waste, and students only take what they want, which is really good.”
In addition to suhoor and iftar meal accommodations from U.Va. Dine, student groups such as the MSA will host their own iftar dinners in collaboration with schools within the University.
“My first year there were maybe one or two, or just a couple of the iftars that were being hosted across the University,” Ahmed said. “But fast forward to now, there's almost an iftar that's being hosted every day [during Ramadan] by a school within the University.”
This year, MSA is collaborating with College Council, Student Council and contracted independent organizations — such as the Bengali Student Association and the Indian Student Association — to host iftars. Information on these events will be shared through the Multicultural Student Center, which has supported these Muslim student organizations in planning and outread for iftar events.
Ahmed also expressed gratitude for the Multicultural Student Center and Vicki Gist, director of Multicultural Student Services and senior associate dean of students, for their help in planning iftars and facilitating communication between dining staff and students.
Events during Ramadan are not restricted to only the Muslim community. Beyond iftars, MSA will host a Fast-a-Thon on March 5 in Alumni Hall. On this day, non-Muslim community members can fast in solidarity with Muslim students. At the end of their fast, all are encouraged to attend the evening iftar, at which there will be a presentation for attendees to learn more about the holy month and Islam in general.
“[Fast-a-thon is] one of the events that we encourage the rest of the Charlottesville community and the University community to come to,” Ahmed said. “We'll have a presentation on why we fast, what Ramadan is … and it's gonna be open to the entire community.”
Rahman praised MSA and their ability to not only branch outside of just the Muslim community, but also give the entire University an opportunity to learn about Ramadan and its importance to those who celebrate.
“I believe MSA does a really good job at making those events cater towards both the non-Muslims and Muslims, ” Rahman said. “[It’s] a nice little moment to reflect and really think about why we fast for the month of Ramadan.”
One change that Rahman said she hopes to see in the future is more awareness among professors that some of their students may be observing the holiday. Rahman proposed a University-wide notice to ensure professors know about Ramadan and accommodations that may be necessary, rather than the students having to reach out to their professors instead.
“I feel like every semester I have to reach out and give a heads up to professors,” Rahman said. “Rather, the professors [should] ask where they can help us during the month of Ramadan, in observance of fasting and all of that.”
Ahmed expressed a similar sentiment of wanting a bit more awareness from professors about the holiday and accommodations students may need, such as having to miss evening classes to break fast.
“Maybe one area that could be worked on a little bit is professors accommodating their students a little bit more,” Ahmed said. “Informing professors beforehand, and making sure that they're aware that students are observing Ramadan … rather than having students having to reach out to professors would be good.”
Last semester, Student Council passed a bill calling on the University to offer more formal and clarified academic accommodations for students observing Ramadan. Imane Akhanous, chair of community concerns and third-year College student, proposed the bill and at that meeting said she hoped that it would offer more structured guidelines for professors granting Ramadan accommodations.
Both Ahmed and Rahman said that each year they have seen more accommodations and support for the Muslim community at the University during their observance of the holiday.
Her first year at the University, Rahman was nervous for what her first Ramadan away from home would look like. However, finding organizations like MSA and support systems within those organizations has led to a sense of excitement for the holiday each year.
“My first year, I was really worried … Now in my fourth year, I look forward to [Ramadan],” Rahman said. “At first it was something I was really anxious about but now it's become something so beautiful … it's bittersweet now, as I'm graduating, but I’m looking forward to it.”
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