Ramadan Mubarak!

رمضان مبارك

The month of April is a special month for so many in our community, even in the midst of a health crisis that has disrupted and challenged life for so many. Our Jewish friends celebrated Passover, our Christian friends have celebrated Easter, and our Muslim friends are about to celebrate Ramadan.

This year Ramadan, which is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, will begin either April 23 or 24. As the calendar is lunar, the dates for when each month begins move every year. During the holy month, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and spend time in contemplation, self-discipline, and remembrance of God. Ramadan is a special month because it is the time Muslims believe Prophet Mohammed received a series of revelations from God which combined to form the Quran. As the holiest month of the year for Muslims, Ramadan offers the opportunity to express their core values through prayer, good deeds, and giving to charity (learn more here and here).

In the midst of this health crisis, Imam Omar Suleiman, from the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research and Southern Methodist University, points out: “Now we have a chance to develop empathy with those that have not had access to their religious spaces due to oppressive circumstances.” Elsewhere Imam Suleiman said: “Prayer is often seen as a more solitary ritual, and can be lonely at times. Fasting during Ramadan is a truly community-oriented ritual, one that is shared with millions of people around the world at the same time.”

For this special issue of the CODI Newsletter, the Center for Interfaith Engagement (CIE) invited members of the EMU community to share reflections on the meaning of Ramadan.

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“Since fasting is not only being hungry and thirsty from sunrise to sunset, it invites us to be more considerate towards giving those in need, avoiding wrongdoings, being humble, and complete submission to God. Ramadan is a month when Allah (God) multiplies the reward of noble deeds by 70 times which offers unconditional opportunity to seek His mercy and forgiveness.”
-- Muhammad Akram (’20 MA Conflict Transformation)

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“The month of Ramadan is a month of fasting, worshiping, giving, and most importantly self-reflection. It is a month in which we recharge our souls so that we don’t lose sight of our creator for the next 11 months. It is a month of submission to the one above. This is my second Ramadan at EMU, and I can confidently say that I’ve never felt so celebrated and included the way EMU’s CIE has made me feel.”
-- Hosam Hadid (’20 MS Biomedicine)

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“In the Hadiths Muslim (1079), it says that Prophet Mohammed said: ‘When there comes the month of Ramadan, the gates of mercy are opened, and the gates of Hell are locked and the devils are chained.’ For me, this quote shows the importance of the month of Ramadan. 

“Fasting during the month of Ramadan keeps us in a state of constant spiritual awakening. It brings us to live in a relationship of trust with God. The purpose of Ramadan is to purify the body and mind, and to better understand the difficulties of the poorest. According to the tradition, healthy people must fast except for children who have not reached puberty, pregnant women, the sick and the elderly. In some cases, fasting can be postponed to a later period, when traveling, for example. Also, the month of Ramadan is a period of intense generosity. It is an obligation for those who do not have financial difficulties to give a donation to the needy. 

“During the last 10 days of Ramadan, there is a night called the ‘Night of Destiny’ or Laylat Al Qadr. During this night, the Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed by the Angel Gabriel, It is also said that night is equivalent to 1,000 months of prayer, which is equivalent to over 30 years of prayer, I believe. Laylat Al Qadr is a blessed night for Muslims. This is why the Prophet invited us into self-exile to take another look at ourselves and the world around us.” 
-- Aminata Wallet Mohamed (’18 BA Sociology, ’21 MA Conflict Transformation)

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“Please accept my warmest wishes on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan. I recognize Ramadan as being an extraordinary opportunity for self-sacrifice and fasting. Typically, fasting begins around dawn and ends at sunset. To prepare and begin their fast, Muslims usually eat breakfast right before dawn, pray, and bless their fast. While fasting for the rest of the day, they refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and engaging in any sexual activity. At sunset, families break the fast with the iftar, traditionally opening the meal by eating dates to commemorate Prophet Mohammed’s practice of breaking the fast with three dates. They then adjourn for the Maghrib prayer, the fourth of the five required daily prayers, after which the main meal is served.

“Ramadan provides a fertile period for extended inward reflection and growth. It is honored throughout the Islamic world for being a time of restoration. It promotes the faithful’s renewed commitment to deeply rooted Islamic and universalistic values that stir and strengthen souls everywhere. Ramadan is renowned for being a time for piety and for the abhorrence of the ills that afflict those who have been wronged. It is an opportunity to revive and concentrate focus on the elemental ideals of justice, peace, family, and equity - all for the betterment of humanity. Ramadan is also a time for compassion and understanding. It is an opportunity to share with and to lessen the suffering of humankind's less fortunate. Not least, Ramadan is a time for assisting those who yearn to be recognized, respected, appreciated, and acknowledged for their basic human dignity.

“With renewed warm wishes that the holy month of Ramadan will be one of blessings for all of us, regardless of our different faiths, races, ethnicity, skin color, cultures, and backgrounds.

“Ramadan Mubarak to all.”
-- Maha Mehanna (’19 MA Conflict Transformation, ’20 MA Organizational Leadership)

Diversity, Inclusion, and Interfaith Engagement

By Elena Barnardi (’20 BA Peacebuilding and Development) and Timothy Seidel (director, Center for Interfaith Engagement)

Our communities are mosaics of cultural values and religious traditions. As the diversity in our world continues to grow, so do the opportunities to learn from each other’s differences and particularities to create a more pluralistic, loving whole. Celebrating Ramadan is an opportunity to highlight the importance and value of religious diversity, religious literacy, and interfaith engagement and inclusion at EMU.

In the work of interfaith engagement, we make a distinction between diversity and inclusion or pluralism. Diversity simply describes the presence of difference in a community, for example, the variety of racial, ethnic, and religious identities on campus. Pluralism and inclusion describes the ways that we as a community actively include and accommodate those differences. For example at EMU, we are a religiously diverse community in that we are a community of Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and others. We are a religiously pluralistic and inclusive community when we actively include and accommodate that diversity, for example, by accommodating dietary needs, providing prayer spaces, and learning about and celebrating each other’s religious traditions.

Religion and culture inform our worldviews and shape the way we interact with others. Our perceptions and understandings of religious beliefs impact the way we choose to lead our lives and lead others. Though religious diversity is seen and embraced by many today, it is also subject to many controversies and difficult questions in society. When fear and violence in this context risk breaking us apart and preventing coexistence, religious pluralism becomes more necessary than ever to encourage the respect and understanding of other cultures and beliefs.

When we walk into our homes, our offices or classrooms, we bring with us our assumptions, biases and misconceptions. To understand another’s religious beliefs requires the willingness and power to bridge differences and create safe spaces for interfaith dialogue and expression. As we try to understand differing beliefs within and among our religions, we will be able to fully participate in the interconnectedness of our world.

At EMU, the student body is a colorful mix of religious and cultural backgrounds. To develop and sustain a thriving environment for religious diversity, inclusion and pluralism, EMU’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (CODI) and Center for Interfaith Engagement (CIE) encourage learning, listening, and discussing these topics to critique and reexamine narratives, build empathy and promote social justice changes.