Dear Allegheny Community,
On behalf of Allegheny College, the Student Dean and the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life (SRL) and the Islamic Cultural Association (ICA), wish to let you know that today, March 23, is the beginning of Ramadan.
A month that marks the Islamic month of fasting and the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. For the duration of one month, Muslims around the world will abstain from eating and drinking from dawn until sunset. This is a special month for the Muslim community at large and for the smaller Muslim community on our campus. Ramadan tasks each person differently but in general, Muslims break their fast around sunset, eat and pray and then sleep for a bit.
They wake up pre-dawn for their Sahuur (early morning meal), pray and sleep for a bit and wake up at 8 am and start their day. So, they end up with less sleep and more than one sleep session, which then affects their performance during the day. Please recognize that students may seem fatigued, hungry, or dehydrated, especially during the late afternoon classes.
While we are not suggesting or asking you to give them special treatment, we write to remind you that your understanding for these students will help to build a supportive community of belonging. We invite you all to use this opportunity as a means to bring us closer to one another as human beings.
To the Muslim community on our campus, on behalf of the Allegheny College Community, we are committed to supporting you through sharing religious reminders and spiritual resources and providing you with a space to live and practice the rituals of your beliefs, Ramadan Mubarak! ‘May you all have a blessed Ramadan!’
We pray for everyone’s safety and health. We pray that God accepts your fast and worship this holy Ramadan.