Every Ramadan, Muslim students at Queen’s gather to eat, pray, and build community.
Queen’s Muslim Students’ Association (QUMSA) launched their annual Ramadan programming with the start of the holy month on March 11. The association holds daily Iftars, the meal breaking fast at sundown, at the Queen’s University International Centre (QUIC), followed by Taraweeh, the nighttime prayer, at Kingston Collegiate Vocational Institute (KCVI).
The program provides a sense of community for students during the holy month of Ramadan, QUMSA said in a statement to The Journal.
“For a lot of Queen’s Muslim students and staff, home is far away. Through our daily Iftars we hope to bring the community together while providing free meals,” QUMSA said.
Half an hour before sundown, marking the end of fast and the beginning of Iftar, students mingle in the QUIC, with young professionals and children socializing with students.
The Iftar meals are available for any fasting student, staff, and faculty member. Students from all programs, including exchange programs and graduate students, can participate.
Middle Eastern and South Asian rice dishes, soups, salads, and curries are cooked by and shared with community , arriving minutes before sundown. Students enjoy catered food; in the past, QUMSA partnered with Pizza Pizza and Popeyes.
Attendees line up for seconds and desserts, walking to Taraweeh prayers together after the meal.
QUMSA reflects on how much the program has already grown from last year, with over 100 attendees in the first few days.
“Seeing the familiar faces is always nice, but seeing all the new ones is definitely a rewarding feeling,” QUMSA said. “It’s amazing seeing the Muslim population grow on campus and seeing that the Iftar program truly does bring us all together.”
With no cost to attendees, despite serving 50 to 100 people each day, QUMSA hopes to raise $15,000 in donations throughout Ramadan. QUMSA relies on its community sponsorships and grant funding from the University.
Aisha Bharuchi, ArtSci ’26, was a first-year last year. She felt lost and struggled to find community as a racialized student on campus. Her current friends and her roommate are all people she met at the Iftars last year.
“It’s good to know you have the from the community here at Queen’s. I would feel lost without it,” Bharuchi said. “You need at least one Muslim just to feel connected, to feel whole inside.”
“I came [to Queen’s Iftar events] and I met all of my friends. We all started this journey together, where we came closer to Islam because of each other.”
During Ramadan last year, Bharuchi felt being away from her family at the forefront. She recalled tearing up when her parents called to show her the food they were enjoying.
“My family is a big part of me. Being away from them is really hard because Ramadan is all about the community and coming together,” Bharuchi said. “I feel like I’ve made family here as well. I can now associate Ramadan with my family here.”
Coming to Kingston can be isolating for students. Ramadan is centered around family and community, with Muslims having both Suhoor, the meal with which the fast begins, and Iftar with their families.
Queen’s University Dining and Hospitality Services offers halal options to students living in residences, with a specific Ramadan-inspired menu every Thursday and a to-go option for Suhoor meals. With taste-testing the Ramadan menu in mid-February, QUMSA said it was a fun process and a way to provide comfort to first-year students away from home.
“It was an opportunity to ensure Muslim students felt a sense of belonging and appreciation by providing them with culturally relevant meals,” QUMSA said.
Most cities foster community through programs held at local mosques. In Kingston, the only mosque in town is too far for students—especially since the mosque is inaccessible via transit.
“It’s vital for us to hold daily Iftars and Taraweeh so the Queen’s Muslim community can have access to perform these acts of worship and come together,” QUMSA said.
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R
Beautiful article. Ramadan Mubarak!