By Irma Susset – Contributor, Incoming Editor-in-Chief

March 10, 2024, marked the beginning of the month of Ramadan, a holy month for Muslims. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn until sundown. Continuing with their tradition, the Université de Sherbrooke Muslim Students Association (AMUS) offered free dinners every night on their campus to break fasts together and foster a sense of community during this holy month. This year, AMUS hosted two of these dinners, called iftars, with the Bishop’s University Muslim Students Association (MSA). 

Over a hundred students regularly attend the AMUS’ Ramadan events which encompass the breaking of the fast, two of the nightly prayers; Maghrib and Isha, the iftar meal as well as the Tarawih prayer, a voluntary prayer unique to Ramadan which involves reading portions of the Quran every night of the month. These events are full of happiness, generosity, patience and dedication, and are open to all.  

“Although I am not Muslim, I felt at home, and learned a lot about Islam at these events. For me, attending dinners hosted by the AMUS was an opportunity to spend time with my friends and it felt like being with family. “

– Hannah Augustin, Université de Sherbrooke student

The idea to host iftar at Bishop’s came to fruition as the AMUS and MSA organized transportation for dozens of students to come to the Lennoxville campus for iftar and to meet new members of the community. Ziyad Omar, MSA member at Bishop’s said “I find it awesome that BU hosted iftar dinners this year”. He said “it gave us the opportunity to have the event right at home on our campus.” Ziyad, like many others, would normally go to downtown Sherbrooke to participate in the AMUS’ events.

“I loved meeting people from the community outside Bishop’s. I met many people I had a lot in common with that I would not have had the chance to meet if it were not for this event.”

–  Diane Drak Alsibai, Bishop’s University student

Traditionally, Ramadan is a time to be spent with family. Several students spent Ramadan alone this year due to moving abroad to study in Estrie. For many, this time of nostalgia for large family gatherings was replaced with the joy of finding a community to share evenings with and celebrate together. Syrine Mensi, AMUS member and Université de Sherbrooke student shared that “Being away from my family during Ramadan for the first time was hard, but thanks to these events I feel the AMUS has become my second family away from home.” Many students took advantage of these nights to spend some time socializing with their peers as the end of the semester rapidly approached.

AMUS member Amina Ferraoun, another student studying abroad at Université de Sherbrooke, shared similar sentiments: “These thirty days gave me the opportunity to get together at the university, helping me forget the distance separating my family and I. This is an experience I will forever cherish.” 

“The AMUS has been a blessing for me. It was heartwarming to see everyone gather and hang out together. I think it was a great opportunity to join both universities’ Muslim communities at Bishop’s.”

– Mariam Ndiaye, event volunteer and AMUS member

“The AMUS has been a blessing for me. It was heartwarming to see everyone gather and hang out together. I think it was a great opportunity to join both universities’ Muslim communities at Bishops.”

Despite the importance of Ramadan in the lives of Muslims, Google searches about celebrating Ramadan in Sherbrooke yield exclusively news articles from years prior. Both associations repeatedly promoted the dinners on their social media platforms, but there remains a segment of the larger Estrie Muslim demographic who may have missed out on these opportunities to connect with their community throughout the month. Many students were likely unaware of the recurring events organized by the AMUS until the month began. 

Maroua Qarmad, a student at Cégep de Sherbrooke said, “I’m extremely grateful for the AMUS, and all the volunteers. I am thankful to have made so many new friends and to have been able to celebrate with them.”

The AMUS hosted these nights thanks to generous food donations by Sherbrooke community members. Student volunteers help organize and distribute the meals as well as clean up after every meal to ensure the events go smoothly. This generous team’s efforts made the month-long observance’s festivities a recurring success.