Dozens of people trekked through rainy weather to gather at the University of Vermont’s Intercultural Center on Friday night to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.
This is an Islamic holiday that commemorates everything learned during Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk in deep reflection to build a stronger relationship with God.
During Ramadan, it is common to set goals to renew your relationship with your religion. Lena Zinawi, a master’s student at UVM, said the journey can be difficult at times, but ultimately rewarding.
“Every year I set goals for myself, but there are moments when I fail,” she said. “And during the month of Ramadan, other things happen in my life, like going to school, working, and other commitments. But again, it’s more important than quantity. I try to remind myself that it’s all about quality. It’s more about what you gain, what you learn, and how much you grow than achieving and accomplishing all the goals you set for yourself. .”
Chaima Bousenhe, a student at St. Michael’s College and Fulbright Scholar, said one of her goals for Ramadan is to cut back on her addictions, including coffee and other types of caffeine. Ta.
“I went from three drinks a day to one drink a day,” she said. “I think that’s one goal as well. And I achieved that.”
Bousenhe said she felt like she experienced the spirit of Ramandan while serving in Hartford earlier this year.
“We were volunteering at a homeless shelter. I think it was a transformative experience for me because I was fasting while other people were coming in to eat. . And you know they don’t really know where they’re going to get their next meal,” she said.
Before the start of Ramadan, the Muslim Student Association held an intention-setting event where participants came together as a community and prepared for the coming month. So they wrote letters to themselves detailing the goals they wanted to achieve.
Amna Shuja is a student at the University of Vermont and president of the Muslim Student Association. As she was writing her letter, she felt Ramadan in her hometown and suddenly remembered what it was like for her.
“When I went home and thought about what I would do during Ramadan, I realized that what my faith tells me to do, for example culturally and just being a Muslim, and what if “When I thought about what I would do if I didn’t have food, water, etc.,” she said, “it was about trying to recalibrate myself to be a good person in my community.”
For the past three years, Shuja has had mixed feelings about Ramandan and Eid. She is from Pakistan and this time of year is usually about connecting with her family. And Shuja said she found it difficult to emulate such a community in South Burlington.
“When I got here, I was like, ‘Wow, where am I?’ [people of color]?Where are they on the UVM campus? It was really scary,” she said.
Shuja says there is often ignorance about one’s religion at UVM, and sometimes it is difficult to share that part of one’s identity.
“I feel like our community is a little bit misunderstood. And I feel like people are getting even more misunderstood, especially with things like recent events,” she said.
Still, Shuja says she was able to find a strong community for Ramadan and Eid this year.
“It’s almost unbelievable to see the number of people who came here this Eid and registered to participate in this event,” Shuja said. “Being around people really celebrates and just reminds myself that I can find someone to celebrate with me and accept that part of my identity.”
Bushenhe also appreciates the community’s small but close-knit Muslim group. Her Algerian background was nervous about spending her first Eid away from her home and family.
“I was bracing myself to feel sad, but it was quite the opposite, because Eid here, even though it’s a very small community, you can still meet people at the mosque. We make sure everyone is included. And just like when we were at school, we would have received a lot of ‘Eid Mubarak’ from friends, American friends, professors, etc.,” Bushenhe said. “Thanks to that, I was able to overcome my homesickness for the past month,” he said.
Mr. Zinawi also emphasized the importance of connecting with others during Ramadan. She says celebrating this year feels like a privilege given the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israeli forces have killed more than 33,000 Palestinians since the latest war between Israel and Hamas broke out.
“I think it’s a great honor to celebrate this holiday every year, but this year especially, with everything that’s going on in the world, many Muslims are facing a lot of oppression and violence right now. And that limits them from fully celebrating this month,” she said.
Zinawi said she has mentioned Palestinians in her prayers and will continue to advocate for them after Eid.
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