By Shivani Khanna
Gargoyle assistant editor
Posted Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2006, The OG, news

To engage in community bonding, Uni High and the Intercultural Friendship Foundation will co-host a Ramadan dinner 7 p.m. Wednesday in Uni Gym. The dinner is not a religious event and is intended to promote intercultural understanding.

“This is a really nice gesture,” said senior Dana Al-Qadi, “and I know that it's the first year that they've done it, so it's a really nice way of making the Muslim community feel welcome and included at Uni. I know that my family really appreciates it.”

About 120 Uni parents, students, and faculty are expected to attend, according to Director/Principal Kassie Patton. The IFF, a University of Illinois student group, will take care of the food.

“The IFF mission is to create intercultural understanding,” Patton said. “They usually have a huge Ramadan dinner on campus every year. I went last year, and since then they've been wanting to develop a relationship with us because we have such a diverse school. They came and asked to host a Ramadan dinner at Uni.”

At Wednesday's dinner, 1999 Uni alum Hanan Jassim will talk about her memories of the school, and former Uni parent Irfan Ahmad will talk about the meaning of Ramadan.

During Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims unite in a period of fasting, from sunrise to sunset, to engage in spiritual reflection, cleanse the mind and body, and strengthen community and family bonds.

This year Ramadan began on Sept. 23 and will end after a lunar cycle is complete (approximately 29 days) on or around Oct. 16.

Many Uni students will remember the Intercultural Friendship Foundation from the Agora Days class that IFF members taught, Cultural Diversity From Asian Steppes to European Alps. (Click here for photos from that class.)

The IFF will also host a campuswide Ramadan dinner from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Illini Union. The program will consist of:

— Words of welcome from the IFF
— 10-minute presentation/multimedia showing
— Call for prayer, followed by Ramadan dinner
— Speech by Ghulam Haider Aasi, associate professor at the American Islamic College in Chicago
— Award ceremony
— Keynote speech: Dr. Steve Shoemaker, director of the University YMCA
— Concluding remarks