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If you’ve ever watched the classroom clock in anticipation of the lunch hour, imagine that feeling all day, every day, for a month. Throughout September, Muslim students are fasting in observance of Ramadan in exactly this way.
“Many people believe we are suffering during this time, but in reality, that is not our experience,” said Kadir Nagac, president of the Islamic Dialogue Student Association. “For Muslims, this is a time to tune-up our spiritual lives. The focus is on intense worship, devotion to God and controlling negative emotions, as well as learning self-control and empathy for the less fortunate.”
The schedule of Ramadan changes every year because it follows the lunar calendar, shorter than the solar calendar by 14 days. For all daylight hours of the four weeks, Muslims abstain from eating, drinking and smoking.
Fasting has unusual results for some students.
“I am much more productive. I don’t know why!” said Adem Ekmekci, a mathematics graduate student. “But class at five, that one is bad.”
And the hot weather doesn’t help.
“You get very thirsty, especially in the afternoon,” said Suphan Kirmizialtin, a history Ph.D student. “We wake up early, around 4:30 or 5, have a lot of liquids and get some work done, because in the late afternoon [we are] too exhausted to do anything or read anything.”
At the end of the month, Muslims celebrate for four days.
“You are encouraged to eat as much dessert as you want for all four days, and you visit many friends and family,” said Gokhan Saygili, a civil engineering graduate student.
In addition to worship and self-denial, Ramadan is also a time of generosity. Muslims invite guests to share dinner at their homes and exchange gifts with friends and family. In this spirit of giving, the Islamic Dialogue Student Association annually holds four Ramadan dinners, known as Iftar, and invite Muslims and non-Muslims alike to attend.
The association began meeting in the summer of 2001, just before the attacks of Sept. 11. For the past seven years, the group has worked to dispel misconceptions about Muslims, as well as to promote interfaith discussions on campus.
The association’s first Iftar this year was a delicious event. The food, all homemade, was bountiful and freely shared by all. Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad liked to break his fast with a single fig, so baskets of figs were passed along with plates of baklava at every table.
One dinner will be held tonight, on the anniversary of Sept. 11. The Islamic Dialogue Student Association is taking this opportunity to bridge the cultural divide between Muslims and non-Muslims by inviting all students to join in a fast-breaking dinner tonight on campus.
“It’s open to all students and any cultures,” Nagac said. “We want everyone to experience being there and having that atmosphere is important for people to understand what Ramadan is to us.”
The IDSA is holding three more Iftar dinners this month, the first of which will be tonight in GSB 2.126, followed by Friday, Sept. 19 and Friday, Sept. 26 dinners, both held on campus in SSB G1.310.
“All parts have responsibility to fight miscommunication. We get frustrated with the media, but I believe it’s my responsibility to speak out about the true Islam. And it’s not enough to talk only about Islam,” said Kirmizialtin, a member of the association. “We want to talk to other faiths and understand them better, make people ask questions.”
If you plan to attend the dinner tonight, please RSVP to idsa@www.utexas.edu.
Click here for more information about the Islamic Dialogue Students Association.
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