IFTARS AROUND THE TRIANGLE
Several community dinners, called iftars, are held during the month of Ramadan.
WHAT: Believers United for Progress Fifth Annual Community Outreach Dinner
WHEN: 6 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 11
Guest speakers the Rev. Joe Harvard and Imam A. Munir Mohammed. Music by the NCCU Jazz Band.
WHERE: W.D. Hill Community Center
1308 Fayetteville St., Durham
FOR MORE INFORMATION: 687-7070
ON THE WEB: humanityone@believersunitedforprogress.org
WHAT: Ramadan Iftar Dinner
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12
WHERE: Divan Cultural Center, 1393 SE Maynard Road, Cary
ON THE WEB: rsvp@divannc.org
WHAT: Duke University Campus-wide Iftar sponsored by the Center for Muslim Life and Muslim Student Association
WHEN: 7 to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 18
WHERE: Great Hall, West Union, Duke University
ON THE WEB: http://muslimlife.studentaffairs.duke.edu or e-mail a.antepli@duke.edu
INSIDE
A schedule of iftars during the month of Ramadan | D5
BY DAWN BAUMGARTNER VAUGHAN
dvaughan@heraldsun.com; 419-6563
DURHAM -- After the sun goes down each day during Ramadan, Muslims break their daily fast with a meal.
The dinner -- called iftar -- is an opportunity to share with others. But first, the day's end is marked by a prayerful moment, a rich, spiritual and religious moment, said Abdullah Antepli, the Muslim chaplain at Duke University. He leads the Center for Muslim Life at Duke, which is hosting community iftars several times a week during Ramadan, which began Aug. 22. During each meal, organized conversations revolve around Islam and being Muslim in the United States. It's an educational moment, Antepli said.
"Ramadan is really a collective experience. It is not fun to fast by yourself. It is a social event," he said. In the Triangle, where Muslims are a minority, it is even more important to have that collective experience, he said.
Zeynep Tulu of Durham, who is Turkish, said it is difficult but meaningful to continue to live her culture in a foreign country. She attends events at the Divan Cultural Center in Cary, which serves the Triangle's Turkish-American community, many of whom are Muslim. Tulu is a grad student at Duke, where her husband is also a postdoc and their 3-year-old daughter attends day care. The Tulus will attend the upcoming community iftar Sept. 12 at the Divan center. Everyone is welcome to the iftar, she said, and those who come should expect friendship and hospitality as well as good Turkish food that blends East and West cuisine. At the dinner, Divan will give a presentation about Ramadan and fasting.
Ramadan commemorates the month in which the Quran was revealed to the prophet Mohammed. Whenever a Muslim mentions the prophet, it is followed by a version of "Peace be upon him." During Ramadan, Muslims tend to read the Quran more and finish reading it individually or collectively, Tulu said.
Fasting isn't just about abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. "We also try to learn discipline and self-restraint," Tulu said. The pre-dawn meal is called sahoor, eaten soon after waking. The iftars, in contrast, are feasts, she said, and great social events.
"By fasting, we understand and feel hunger, the situation of hungry people, so we like to share more. Also, Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, encouraged providing iftars, so we generally share our meals with friends, both Muslims and non-Muslims. In Ramadan, I cook more, have more friends at our house and at Divan Center, therefore enjoy our meals more," Tulu said. She said that during Ramadan many Muslims donate more than usual to help those in need.
Antepli said Muslims work on their spirituality more intently during Ramadan. "It is a time that we are encouraged to reflect on our life. There's a systemic way of doing this, reflecting on the last 11 months and what you have done," he said.
The Center for Muslim Life at Duke is hosting iftars on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, many of which are interfaith dinners such as a Jewish iftar, Catholic iftar, Hindu iftar and Protestant iftar. But the crowds have grown beyond the center's 40- to 50-person capacity, so starting this week they have moved to the Divinity School. More than 100 people attended last Friday's iftar. This Friday the Muslim center will host the Arab Student Association. Food served has reflected the cultural and ethnic diversity of the Muslim world, from Mediterranean to Chinese to South Asian.
Elsewhere in Durham, Believers United for Progress will host a community dinner Sept. 11 at the W.D. Hill Recreation Center. Kasib Abdullah, who runs the New Visions of Africa restaurant next door, started holding the community dinners during Ramadan in 2005, and they are now led by his nonprofit Believers United in Progress. He said that Muslim followers of W. Deen Mohammed hold Friday prayer services from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. weekly at the Hill center, with Imam A. Munir Mohammed. Abdullah said they hope to one day open the W. Deen Mohammed Islamic Center in Durham. Mohammed, who died last year, was a frequent visitor to Durham and was leader of Mosque Cares. He was also the son of Elijah Mohammed, founder of the Nation of Islam. This is not a Nation of Islam group. They've moved on past that, said Abdullah.
At the Sept. 11 dinner, Believers United for Progress will remember victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, and also pay tribute to W. Deen Mohammed, who died Sept. 9, 2008, for his "tireless efforts to serve humanity." The keynote speaker is the Rev. Joe Harvard of First Presbyterian Church, who will speak on "Promoting Excellence and One Humanity Through Community Service." There will also be information tables for local outreach services.
Abdullah said Ramadan, which began Aug. 22, has been a good and successful one so far. "It's about our relationships with each other and with God. It should strengthen our faith," he said. "We have daily lives to live, but should focus on the blessings and mercy of God."
Ramadan ends Sept. 19, and is celebrated the next day with Eid al Fitr.
