Dozens of University of Maryland and College Park community members gathered at the College Park United Methodist Church Thursday evening for the third annual Sunset Celebration Iftar.
Ramadan is one of the holiest months of the year for Muslims, as they fast from before dawn to sunset to commemorate the revelation of the Quran, according to the Islamic Network Group. Iftar is the sunset meal to break the daily fast and is traditionally broken with dates or water, the group’s website said.
Thursday’s event was a partnership between College Park’s Virtual X Kitchen, this university’s Muslim Student Association and student engagement center, and the College Park United Methodist Church’s “Who is My Neighbor?” initiative, which helps promote inclusivity.
Nomie Hamid, the founder and CEO of the halal Virtual X Kitchen, helped found the event three years ago. He provided free meals for the event, including butter chicken and chai, through his business.
Hamid, who is Muslim, said the event was important to him because it shows his commitment to diversity.
“Only in America can we have an imam standing at a church leading prayers, right?” said Hamid. “That is phenomenal.”
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Imam Tarif Shraim, this university’s Muslim chaplain, led the call to prayer, or “adhan,” during the event, which marks the breaking of the fast. For Shraim, Ramadan allows him to gain a deeper gratitude of God and not take anything he consumes for granted.
College Park Mayor Fazlul Kabir, who has fasted during Ramadan since he was 10, told The Diamondback the event highlighted how community members from different backgrounds can gather to celebrate.
During a speech at the event, Kabir urged community members breaking their fasts to remember those who are unemployed, facing food insecurity, immigrants and federal employees who have been recently laid off.
In recent weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has pursued several mass deportation efforts and told federal agencies to prepare for large-scale layoffs, according to the Associated Press.
“As we celebrate and as we eat together this meal, let’s not forget about them,” Kabir said. “Let’s remember them and see what we can do together.”
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College Park United Methodist Church’s pastor Rev. Evelyn Romero said she was glad that the event could be held, especially during the current “tumultuous times.”
“It’s important for us to promote hope, peace and radical love,” Romero told The Diamondback.
Leena Davis, this university’s Muslim Student Association president, said Ramadan is an opportunity for her to strengthen her relationship with God and her community.
At the sunset celebration, the senior agricultural and resource economics major said she enjoyed being able to connect with the wider community beyond the university.
Shraim said events such as Thursday’s Iftar celebration allow people to “humanize” and understand each other.
“It’s only when we sit together, break bread together, authentically, intimately, we open our hearts to each other [that we] really start to see something really deeper than what the exterior shows,” Shraim said.
