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December 2004
GW Comes Together to Celebrate Iftar
By John
Carroll
For the third consecutive year, GW’s Muslim and Jewish Student Associations
have hosted an Iftar, the ceremonial meal at sundown breaking the daily
Ramadan fast, in the Marvin Center Grand Ballroom.
This year, the numbers of those attending exceeded the University’s
expectations, with attendance surpassing 300, especially among those members
of the diplomatic community invited to take part in the unifying interfaith
event — Ali Khalifa Bin Al-Khalifa, from the Embassy of Bahrain;
Kadisha Dairova, translator, Embassy of Kazakhstan; and Albert F. del
Rosario, from the Embassy of Philippines.
His Excellency Tshaye Fassil, from the Embassy of Eritrea, attended his
first GW-sponsored Iftar, showing his faith in the achievement of a harmony
among peoples.
Fassil’s optimism comes from firsthand experience with struggles
in his native African region where Eritrea emerged as a new country in
1991 after 30 years of conflict with Ethiopia.
“Our society consists of Muslims and Christians, 50-50, who have
lived together in harmony for centuries,” Fassil said of Eritrea.
“And the inclusion of Judaism into this particular evening’s
program brings hope for future peace in other regions of conflict.”
Similar to the Jewish observance of Yom Kippur, Muslims fast from dawn
to dusk during the month of Ramadan, practicing self control while seeking
inner reflection and devotion to God. Ramadan is the ninth month of the
Muslim calendar, when it is believed the Holy Qu’ran “was sent
down from heaven, a guidance unto men, a declaration of direction, a means
of Salvation.”
Muslims observed their customary holy prayer in a separate room where
attendees were invited to take off their shoes and join in a traditional
Muslim prayer in the form of a soothing chant. Subsequently, in the main
ballroom, a member of the Jewish Student Association led the crowd in
a group prayer in dialectal Hebrew. Although these prayers were delivered
in a language foreign to most, the message was clearly one of assurance
and hope.
Guests mingled as they waited in the buffet line and shared the breaking
of the fast with traditional offerings including dates, rice wrapped in
grape leaves as well as Kosher food. The promise of a quality meal, a
chance to learn about the Muslim and Jewish religions, and the virtues
of the fast continue to bring out GW students and members of the community.
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
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