Ramadan, the Holy Month for fasting and one of the five pillars of Islam, started on April 1 and lasted until May 1 in the U.S. As Ramadan is such an important time for Muslims, Dana Hall planned a few events regarding this Islamic tradition last month to support the Muslim believers in our community.

The Library created a food-free zone during lunch, located in the Current Periodicals area, for fasting members to have a space for themselves. In addition, two community Iftars, the meal when Muslims end their daily fast at sunset, were hosted in the Student Center. Outside of school, Muslim boarding students were invited to multiple Iftar dinners by Dana Hall families who were fasting. 

Ms. Julia Newman, the Reference and Archives Assistant, states that “As far as I know, this is the first time that Dana Hall is doing something for Ramadan” since she started in 2019. She also participated in fasting and thinks that “Fasting at Dana is pretty easy” because “It is easy to stay in the library while fasting because there is always something to do.” She appreciates that Dana Hall is being supportive and had a great experience this year. In addition, Ms. Newman hopes “more community Iftars can be hosted next year and open it up to all community members.” 

Samira Ibrahimi ’25, a boarder from Johnston B, said “Everything was good. Just the days are so long. I was so tired the entire day and had to wake up in the middle of the night.” But Sana Shinwari ‘25 adds that “We did get excused from afternoon activities by the school.” Amelia Herring, the house director of Johnston B, brought food for the two every day so “when we get up in the morning at 6am we can eat.”

At the end of the Holy Month there is another celebration called Eid al-Fitr. Sana said that the Dean of Residential Life, Ms. Donna Corrigan, “brought us traditional Middle Eastern food to our dorm for Eid.” Both Sana and Samira agreed that “the school is doing good” including community members who are celebrating Ramadan.

Image Source: Communicate