One of the most important parts of a Wooster education is the on-campus diversity that enables students to graduate as well-rounded citizens. An opportunity to further diversify your religious experience on campus starts this month.
Ramadan utilizes the lunar calendar, so the date of Ramadan by our calendar moves roughly ten to twelve days every year. This year the Muslim celebration of Ramadan, the ninth month on the Muslim calendar, coincides directly with the month of September. The month of Ramadan is traditionally cited as the time in which the Holy Qur’an was sent down from heaven.
The actual celebration of Ramadan is the act of fasting from sunrise until sunset every day. It is more than just abstaining from food and drink. It also gives believers a chance to right wrongs, make peace with those they have fought with and refrain from evil actions and bad habits. They are also expected to give to the poor and help charitable causes. Muslims who are pregnant or too ill or weak to participate in the fast are expected to donate money and food to the less fortunate in lieu of abstaining from food and beverages.
On-campus opportunities to celebrate and learn more about this Islamic holiday include the usual Friday prayers held on campus, as well as additional ones held by students in the various dorms. Shuttles to a mosque are also available throughout the month of Ramadan.
Every Sunday evening during Ramadan there is a special dinner held in UnderOver, the meal and recreation area in the basement of Interfaith Campus Ministries’ Overholt house. The dinner is open to members of the Wooster community as well as students and faculty from campus. Various Muslim members of the community attend, providing others a chance to get a broader understanding of the faith.
Other efforts to accommodate the Muslim students on campus include a program by Food Services that allows the students to purchase food to eat before dawn and after dark.