The significance of Ramadan
Attendants gather at the front of the room to dance after the presentation. (Christian Bonin)
Saddleback College students were invited Wednesday to attend an annual teach-in presentation to learn about Ramadan and the Five Pillars of Islam on Wed., September 4.
Every year, for one month Muslims abstain from eating and drinking between dawn and sunset. This month is called Ramadan.
Ramadan occurs on the ninth month of the lunar calendar and because of this it begins and ends on different days each year.
Arabic and Spanish instructor Amina Yassine, 46, one of the event’s organizers, said the event is intended to teach students about the significance of Ramadan, the fast and “the similarities between one’s culture and the Muslim one.”
“I really enjoyed it,” said Mateo Brady, 25, a Spanish major who attended the event. “I don’t think people understand the similarities between Christianity. Judaism and Islam. People think Islam is a religion of intolerance and violence but at its core it’s fundamentally similar to Christianity.”
After the presentation many of the attendants lined up to receive food or gathered at the front of the room to dance, which was held in the Student Services Building’s Room 212.