12-03-2025
WVU Muslim Student Association hosts iftar dinner celebrating culture and religion
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — West Virginia University's Muslim Student Association organized a special iftar dinner on Tuesday, inviting students and community members to experience an evening of cultural and religious significance.
The event took place in the Mountainlair Ballroom on WVU's main campus in Morgantown and featured a variety of authentic Middle Eastern dishes. Iftar is the meal that marks the end of each fasting day, bringing families and communities together to share in the breaking of the fast.
During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims observe daily fasting, refraining from food and drink from dawn until sunset as an act of devotion and self-discipline.
'Following the traditions of Islam, we break our fast together and it's something that is very important religiously but also culturally,' West Virginia Muslim Student Association President Omar Sabbagh said. 'We have some good food, today we are having some Syrian food, some Pakistani food, and it's just like very important.'
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While fasting is not required for non-Muslim attendees, they were warmly welcomed to participate in the dinner, fostering a spirit of inclusivity, cultural exchange, and mutual understanding.
'Ramadan, I looked forward to it the whole year because it's a time where there is a special connection with people,' Sabbagh said. 'This event is for the community, we are part of the community and events like these show that Muslims are here to help the community out, we're here to build connections.'
This fast is not merely a physical act of abstaining from food and drink but also a spiritual discipline that requires refraining from indulgence in worldly desires, negative speech, and immoral behavior. For the Muslim community it is a time of heightened devotion, self-restraint, and reflection, fostering a deeper connection with faith, gratitude, and compassion for those in need.
'I just want to tell everyone to do their own research about Islam, learn about it, we're a beautiful religion and we're beautiful people. And sometimes what they see on the news is not true. If you do your own research, Islam is a religion of connecting people like this, it's a religion of peace,' Sabbagh said.
Founded in 1975, the WVU Muslim Student Association hosts social, cultural, and educational events for all WVU students, fostering spiritual growth and community connections beyond the Muslim Faith.
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