Members of Salt Lake Community College came together at the Taylorsville Redwood campus on March 19 to break bread for the daily iftar of Ramadan. Organizers made the event open to people of all faiths and called it the “Interfaith Iftar.”
Ramadan, one of the “five pillars of Islam,” is celebrated on the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and lasts 29 or 30 days. During the holiday, people of Muslim faith fast during the day to foster spiritual growth, and the iftar is a sunset meal that breaks each day’s fast during Ramadan. Although people of Muslim faith are traditionally the ones who celebrate the iftar, event organizers invited anyone from the wider community to commemorate the occasion.
“Tonight, our iftar is unique,” said Rumaisa Mughal, representative on the multicultural student council for Asian American students at SLCC. “It is an interfaith gathering where people from different faiths and backgrounds are coming together to share this moment.”
Mughal gave a presentation at the event on the many ways that different faiths practice fasting, and she also took the time to explain how fasting has impacted and improved her self-connection.
“It’s kind of like a cleansing,” Mughal said. “After one year, it feels like a purification of your body and soul … [You] just start reflecting on things we take for granted, like drinking and eating.”
Mughal reminded the crowd that “this practice is again more than just [about] food. It is to seek spiritual strength and to offer support to those in need.”
Following the end of Mughal’s interfaith presentation, prayers were given in various dialects, such as English, Hebrew, Spanish and Arabic. Attendees then gathered to grab their food and break their fast together. Prayer rooms were made available for those who wished to pray while waiting for the actual sundown.
Although not everyone at the event practiced fasting, many expressed excitement at being a part of the sharing of culture at SLCC’s iftar event. “As Muslims … it is actually our duty to treat others well,” said SLCC staff member Jamilla al-ani.
“[Events like this] cultivate [that] duty and show others who haven’t had the opportunity to meet Muslims or [learn] about our culture to see how we are in real life, rather than maybe how it’s portrayed in the media,” al-ani continued.
The president of global connections and vice president of the Student Leadership Club at SLCC, Pridhvi Subgani, said events like this help to bridge cultural gaps and break down stigmas. “Meet people outside your own beliefs so that your own [beliefs] aren’t being compounded,” Subgani recommended.
SLCC student Luisana Zambrano covered the event for Globe News.
