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Show AggieScene Monday, Oct. /, 2007 Page USU students celebrate their Islamic tradition ByM.D. BUHLER staff writer "This soup is way spicy," Jessica Meyers, sophomore studying history and secondary education said. "I have never had American food like this before." Meyers recently experienced Islamic culture firsthand along with many other students enrolled in Introduction to Islamic Civilization, which is taught by history professor Debra Baldwin. The students feasted with members of the Islamic community as they broke their Ramadan fast. Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is a time of great religious significance for Muslims. The Islamic calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon, as opposed to the Gregorian calendar, which is based on Earth's orbit around the sun, is 11 days shorter than our calendar. Thus the month of Ramadan moves throughout the seasons over the course of a lifetime. Ramadan is the month Muslims practice their annual ritual of fasting between the hours of dawn and dusk. According to a pamphlet published by the Islamic Circle of North America, the fasting involves abstinence from eating, drinking, smoking and marital intercourse. "This reminds the believers of their dependence upon God (also known as Allah), as well as kinship with and responsibility for the millions of human beings in the world who experience involuntary fasting because of lack of food, or its unjust distribution," the pamphlet stated. According to the pamphlet, fasting is so important to Muslims that it is one of the "Five Pillars of Islam." The other four pillars are declaring belief in Allah and the prophet Muhammad, prayingfivetimes a day in the direction of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, giving money to the poor and making the journey to the city of Mecca. These five pillars are found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, and are considered essential for all Muslims. Ramadan, according to holidays.net, is believed to be the month in which the Quran "was sent down from heaven, a guidance unto men, a declaration of direction, and a means of salvation." The Quran specifically mandates the fasting of Ramadan by stating, "One may eat and drink at any time during the night until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the daylight: then keep the fast until night." On the 27th day of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate the "Night of Power," which commemorates the night Muhammad first received the revelation of the Quran. After the month is over, Muslims celebrate the end of their fasting with a three-day holiday called "Id-al-Fitr," or "The feast of Fast Breaking." During this time, families get together and exchange gifts. Last Tuesday, students participating in Ramadan got together at the Logan Islamic Center to break their fast with a variety of exotic delicacies. "Although fasting is universal throughout Islam, the food is different in every country," said Ibrahim Mohammed, president of the Logan Islamic Center who is also a doctorate student from Sudan. We are blessed in this month by increased worship and by obeying the orders of Allah." The food at the feast was a mix of foreign and American food and included several oriental rice dishes, a beef and tomato-based dish and a spicy, curry-based soup placed right next to Hot-and-Ready pizza and rice pudding. "The (participating students) were really friendly," Meyers said. "I walked in and they just started handing me food. It is nice to know that there are good people out there." Meyers said she recommends experiencing new cultures. "It was a great experience," she said. "It was really cool!" -michael.buhler@aggieinai!.usu. edu Seniors: Class offers friendship [1 continuedfrom page 6 A N ELDERLY GENTLEMAN RELAXES A N D READS A BOOK much like in the senior citizens class offered at USU. NOEILE BERLACE photo illustration. subjects that apply to the seniors. So far the three classes that have been held have studied multiculturalism, identity theft and nutrition. The senior citizen said, "1 like the classes that they have had because they are more equipped for our age group, like identity theft and nutrition, and the mutliculturalism class was so interesting." It is also a great way for the seniors to socialize with others of their same age group, she said. The senior, who attends classes with her sister, said she has met new friends through the classes. Nuntapreda said there are about 25 seniors in the classes right now with room for more. "Hopefully it will continue to grow after I graduate," Nuntapreda said. Nuntapreda said another goal is to incorporate Class Bill Act 60, where senior citizens 62 years or older will be able to audit regular college classes if they are interested. There is a $10 registration fee once the act goes into effect, which Nuntapreda said is why they charge $10 for the class, so that when seniors start auditing courses, the bill fee has already been paid. There is a scholarship available for those who cannot afford the fee, Nuntapreda said. "It will either be paid with funds, or we will figure something else out," she said. The seniors are brought to campus every Wednesday for the 1:30 p.m. class by shuttle from the Cache Valley Senior Center, or they can drive themselves if they prefer. Nuntapreda said she is very grateful for the professors who volunteer to teach the class. "We are really so grateful to the professors for teaching it," Nuntapreda said. "I know they are busy, but it is so awesome that they still take the time to give service." There are other service programs also offered through USU. Nuntapreda, who is the director of Friends of the Elderly, said they do two service acts per week where they visit centers such as Logan Nursing and Rehabilitation, Williamsburg Retirement and Logan House. Activities are offered such as bingo, doing hair, playing games and painting nails, Nuntapreda said, and this this year they will be helping the Cache Valley Senior Center with its Christmas party. Another program Nuntapreda is involved in is Adopt-a-Grandparent, where a senior is visited for at least one hour weekly. "It's really fun," Nuntapreda said. "I have a lot of friends who usually wouldn't go, but when they do you can tell how happy they are. They tell me that whenever they have a bad day and go visit them it makes their day so much better." Nuntapreda said she encourages everybody who is interested to check out all the programs they have available. "Anybody can come anytime, and you don't even have to commit any hours," she said. Nuntapreda said if anybody wants to get involved in any of the service projects, they can call (801) 712-8253 or send an e-mail to melissanuntapreda@yahoo.com. -jen n aq@cc. usu. edu Do qou like u/riting? Are ijou curious about the world around qou? Then writing for The Statesman might be qour thing- Visit our office at T5C 105 to applij. Do it in the BUFF ... .... if you want to. www.utahstatesman.eom/elassifieds. 24-7 classifieds from your own eomputer. WANTED Juniors and Seniors to live and work as an intern in Washington DC or Salt Lake City while earning college credit! Congressional, Lobby Group, Think Tank and State Legislative paid/unpaid Internships available. FOR MORE INFO. CONTACT: Cindy Nielsen Institute of Political Economy Old Main 341 cindy.nielsen@usu.edu 797-1597 MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: 3.0 CPA Proficient writing skills OPEN TO ALL MAJORS APPLICATIONS DUE BY OCTOBER 5! |