Muslim student groups help create sense of community on campus during Ramadan

Ramadan is a time for community and family, but it can look very different for Muslim university students who are away from home with limited incomes and looming exams.

Ahmed Shahriar Sakib is an international graduate student at University of Waterloo observing his first Ramadan in Canada. He was worried about being alone during this Islamic holy month, where families and friends come together to share meals and prayers, but he is pleasantly surprised with his experience so far.

"It's better than expected," said Sakib, who came to Canada from Bangladesh last September. "It's the same and also kind of different."

Instead of breaking fast with his family at sunset, Sakib has Muslim roommates to share meals with. He lives close to the mosque in Waterloo, Ont. and he can walk over for the communal prayer after Iftar, the meal observing Muslims eat to break their fasts.

While Sakib misses cooking with his family and the taste of his mother's special Bengali dishes, he is grateful for the University of Waterloo's Muslim Students Association's effort to createa safe and welcoming space for the Muslim community on campus.

"The people are friendly and I appreciate everything the Muslim community is doing here," he said.

Labibah Salim is the vice president of University of Waterloo's Muslim Students Association. She said the student association hosts daily congregational prayers on campus after Iftar, and 500 people attend on average.

"Students may not want to leave campus to go to the mosque at night, so this gives them an option on campus," Salim said.

The association also offers a space for Muslim students to break fast together with daily Iftar meals. On Thursdays, the meals are free and on Mondays they have potluck style meals.

"We have a very community-like aspect to the way we do things," Salim said.

Free Iftar program overwhelmed this year

Down the street at Wilfrid Laurier University, the university's Muslim chaplaincy and Muslim Students Association help organize free Iftar dinners for students in need on campus.

"It is important for those who observe Ramadan to have access to meals to break their fast on campus," Selda told CBC News' London Morning.

"Sharing Ramadan Iftar dinners can make a huge impact on their academic success."

Students with limited incomes can register for the program and pick up their Iftar package, which consists of a healthy meal, water and dates, on campus each day.

Sezen said the initiative received funding from the university and the larger community to help pay for over 100 free Iftar meals each weekday during the month of Ramadan.

Laurier's Muslim community started the freeIftar dinner program in 2019. During the pandemic, the program was not as overwhelmed as it is now, Sezen said, because many students were learning remotely and not on campus.

In 2021, the program delivered meals to 80 students. This year, the number of students who registered for free Iftar meals is around 260.

"What happened this year, we had a huge number of students," Sezen said.

The number of meals offered each day depends on resources and not every student can be accommodated. Some days the capacity is only 100 meals, some days it is 200, Sezen said. Students who do not get meals are directed to other programs in the wider Waterloo region community.

The Iftar meals are provided by Aunty's Kitchen restaurant and they range from Pakistani food to Middle Eastern offerings.

Sezen said it is "heartbreaking" to see so many Muslim students in need on campus.

"It's not easy for many students to financially afford to have a nourishing meal. We know a lot of research has been done on the subject that talks about food insecurity on campus," she said.

Providing a healthy, nourishing Iftar dinner to Muslim students in need is one way to ensure they can focus on end-of-term projects and exams this Ramadan, she explained.