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Just before sunset Sunday, members of the University's Muslim community gathered in the EMU's International Student Lounge carrying dishes of pastas, chicken, dates, cookies, meat pies and soda to share with the others.
Beginning at sunset, a member of the group made the call to prayer, allowing the 20 University students and faculty in attendance to break their daily fasts. After having juice and a date, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Timothy Gianotti led the group in prayer. The room was silent as they removed their shoes and lined up behind Gianotti, a row of men followed by a row of women, standing on cloths that had been laid on the ground. Following the prayer, everyone joined in eating their first meal of the day, the first since a small pre-dawn meal they had before 6 a.m., said Gianotti.
The gathering was a part of the month-long Islamic celebration of Ramadan, which began Oct. 15. During the daylight hours, Muslims don't eat, drink, swear, fight or have sexual relations, said Khadija Al-Rafeea, who is here from Bahrain as a part of the Fulbright exchange program.
"We do it to be in the shoes of the poor and to control your life," said Al-Rafeea. "We control our own lives for a change instead of letting things control us ... Once a year you get in control of daily pleasures, instead of them controlling you.
"It becomes a gathering, like Christmas to us," Al-Rafeea added. "It's a month to get closer to God; if you fast the whole month all of your sins are erased."
Ozgur Pala, a University graduate student in applied linguistics from Turkey and co-director of the Muslim Student Association, said Ramadan means sharing and solidarity, remembering the old and the poor. It is a war on the negative aspects of a person's life, he said.
There was a wide range of people in attendance at Sunday's event. Gianotti pointed out that Muslims from all regions and traditions were in attendance, illustrated by some who wore scarfs on their heads while others did not.
"What we see here is a microcosm of the great Muslim world that is around us, and that's exciting," Gianotti said.
Pala said that he has had a great experience while in the United States, but that many Americans have a distorted view of Muslims and the Islamic religion.
"They want to characterize all Muslims as Osama bin Laden -- that we're uncivilized and motivated to destroy," Pala said.
Pala went on to explain that Turkey was once the center of Christianity and the Ottoman rule for six centuries.
"If Islam was really intolerant against other beliefs from during those six hundred years, then they would have destroyed churches and killed Christians," Pala said. He added that to this day everything is preserved in Istanbul.
Gianotti said the Muslim Student Association is just beginning to get organized, and this was the first event for the group.
He encouraged people to contact the organization at 346-3798 for more information on the group and upcoming events.
canelawood@dailyemerald.com
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