EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Wednesday marked the start of a holy month for Muslims around the world. And for the first time ever, MSU leaders are making special accommodations for Muslim students.
Some Muslim students told 6 News during an interfaith Iftar dinner that these new dining options make them feel embraced by the university.
Iftar is the meal served at the end of each day to break the day’s fast.
“Alhamdulillah. That’s what we say. Thank God it’s been going really well,” MSU student Humza Nadeem said.
“Ramadan means for Muslim people is to connect further with their deen, which means their faith, to better oneself whether it’s bad habits or self-things that we all need to work on,” Nadeem said.
Humza Nadeem is the president of the Muslim Student Association and said he helped make this change on campus.
“It’s been very nice to see the results of that come to fruition. It feels good to feel included of course and I think that Michigan State took an excellent step in involving us in their plans for Ramadan,” he said.
Fasting during Ramadan involves abstaining from food and drink from dawn to sunset, a time frame outside of regular dining hours on campus. Now four of MSU’s on-campus dining halls will offer pre-packaged breakfast and dinner selections.
“I think that it’s amazing doing everything we can to make our students feel comfortable in practicing their faith in whatever way they feel is best for them. I want the university to help me be able to practice my faith, so I want them to be able to help others as well,” MSU Student Jared Coates said.
Nadeem said he’s proud to be a Spartan and hopes MSU will influence other universities to make the change.
“In recent years especially MSU has really prioritized diversity, equity and inclusion for everybody. I think other universities will follow suit seeing the impact that it’s done here.”
Nadeem would also like to see MSU have designated areas for Muslim students to pray around campus in the future.
Ramadan ends on Thursday, April 20.
