Ramadan

By: Reilly Piersimoni, Leela Gandhi

Some Muslim students celebrate Ramadan among classes, schoolwork and extracurriculars. A time of spiritual reflection, students fast for thirty days, where they must abstain from eating from sunrise to sunset.

Ramadan begins on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and ends on the evening of April 12 to the evening of May 12. Students break the fast at the end of the day with a meal, called iftar, and also have a meal early in the morning called Suhoor. On the evening of May 12 to the evening of May 13, students end the fast with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, or “The Festival of Breaking the Fast.”

Religious Services Department Coordinator Susanne McCarron sent an email to all students on behalf of Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Bonnie-Jeanne Casey on April 9, detailing the various ways that the Academy planned to support Muslim students during Ramadan. Muslim Students Association (MSA) adviser and Modern Languages Instructor Amadou Talla, Muslim Students Association adviser and History Instructor Dionna Richardson collaborated with Casey and Dining Services to ensure the school fully accommodated students fasting during Ramadan.

Many students have appreciated the accommodations. “In earlier years, it was hard to figure out how to get my sunrise meal as well as my sunset meal, but such accommodations have been lifesavers,” upper Tasmiah Akter said.

In order to provide students with food for Suhoor, the pre-sunrise meal that marks the beginning of daily fasting, Religious Services offered food such as sandwiches, energy bars, shakes, fruit and bottled water in the Stuckey Room of Phillips Church. Additionally, to ensure that students can break their fast, Dining Services extended Elm Street Dining Hall hours from the normal 7:30 p.m. closing time to 7:45 p.m.

MSA meets during the lunch and Jummah blocks on Fridays. In addition, MSA also offers weekly community iftars for Muslim students to connect.

In an April 20 email, Casey, Assistant Principal Karen Lassey and Director of Studies Scott Saltman announced that in order to acknowledge and honor Eid al-Fitr, the day after Ramadan, no classes or sports practices will be held on May 13.

Akter elaborated on her perspective on the focus of Ramadan. “I've started approaching Ramadan as a time where I focus on improving my relationship with God, myself, and the world in general,” Akter said. “It's just a good time of year to tune into yourself and those around you.”

Prep Ayaan Akhtar agreed. “For me in particular, Ramadan is about deepening your understanding of Islam, what it means to you, and seeing Islam through the lens of other people, because that's kind of what Ramadan is about. It's about feeling what the less fortunate have to feel, which is part of the reason why we fast. It's for sympathizing with other Muslims, learning about other Muslims, seeing their struggles and deepening our connection with Allah as well.

Talla also mentioned why Ramadan is important. “It is the month in which the Quran was revealed. It is an opportunity to rediscover the message of the Quran and to reconnect with its teachings. It is also an opportunity for spiritual growth and a time to remember to be kind, humble, generous, and useful to others.”

“One thing I emphasized during our last two Friday Jummah gatherings is that Ramadan is not just about fasting or enjoying food with friends and family. It is also a time of reflection on our religious practice and a time for spiritual growth. I hope our students keep that in mind throughout this entire month of Ramadan,” Talla added.

Casey appreciated the Academy’s willingness to work with her on religious accommodations. “As we recognize the diversity of needs of our students, everyone's got to be gentle with each other and recognize that we're not going to do it perfectly ever,” Casey said. “We might not even do it sufficiently well, but there's a good faith effort underway. And we're really open to feedback, both positive and critical. We're here to partner with you. And we might not know exactly every accommodation that would make sense, but for myself and Religious Services, we are open to learning.”

Talla also appreciated the Academy’s efforts to be more inclusive. “One of the things I am personally grateful for is seeing Jummah on the schedule on Fridays. It is affirming for Muslim students to know that their school cares enough about them to carve out some time for them to worship as a community. I think it shows our commitment to equity and inclusion. The Ramadan accommodations also send a strong message of love and care.”

Akhtar believed celebrating Ramadan on campus helped to build community. “They're definitely helping with raising awareness to Ramadan for non-Muslim students, which is always a good thing,” Akhtar said. “It's just always great to learn about different cultures, especially when we have a population of students on campus currently celebrating Ramadan.”

Upper Zara Ahmed expressed gratitude for the recent changes. “I really appreciate that they are extending dining hall hours because the dining halls closed at 7:30 before, and the hours of breaking fast are going to get progressively later and later until 8:00 or 8:30. You're not going to get warm food. So I really appreciate them taking that into consideration.”

Akter elaborated on the challenges of fasting during Ramadan, especially at Exeter. “It can be difficult to fast and maintain stamina when working on homework assignments or just sitting in class,” Akter said. “I hope there's a general awareness on campus of how tough it can be to try to be a responsible Muslim and also a responsible Exonian… I'm so happy to see the small changes.”

Muslim Students Association co-head and lower Sinna Oumer also appreciated the recent schedule change. “Eid is a day of feasting and charity. None of my previous schools accommodated for me to celebrate Eid, which is why I am now so elated and grateful for the free day. This also opens up the chance for us to do some activities with MSA which I am excited about,” Oumer said. “However, I feel like a lot of students on campus aren't really aware of Ramadan or what that really entails. And similarly, aren't really aware of why we have that day off.”

Oumar also noted Ramadan’s effect on her opportunity to connect with her peers. “It has kind of been difficult trying to find a social balance during Ramadan because when I finish my last class, the instinct is to come back to my dorm and sleep so that I can be rested and stay up during the night to break my fast. It's difficult to fit in time for friends around that because I sleep almost until my check-in.”

Ramadan has also changed for many in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in terms of community. “Ramadan has always been primarily about community for me. It's very much a time of unity for Muslims around the world and I think that connection and making that effort to improve yourself and your commitment to your faith in any way you might choose to do that shows that your will is stronger as a community,” Oumer said. “And so during COVID-19, Ramadan has been quite interesting in that regard.”

Akter appreciated the effort the Academy, faculty and students put into supporting Muslim students. “I’d like to give a shoutout to Mr. Talla, Sinna Oumer, and all other faculty or Exonians who work so hard to make Exeter more inclusive for Muslims. They've advocated for so much change and I'm really grateful.”