ONU’s Muslim Student Association (MSA) held a dinner on Monday, Oct. 6 to celebrate the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha, or Holiday of Sacrifice, with the ONU campus and Ada community.
The dinner served as an opportunity for Muslims around Ada to come together and recognize the second of the two holidays they observe. It is seen as a time of happiness and celebration, and so the MSA wanted to additionally share this with whoever else was interested, said Uhood Ashkan, MSA vice president.
“We wanted to invite everyone to the dinner so non-Muslims would learn about it and share this special event with us.”
The holiday remembers when Abraham was told by God to sacrifice his son Ishmael as a way of testing Abraham’s faith and devotion to God. But then, once God saw that Abraham was willing, God ordered him to sacrifice a lamb instead.
The event started with the offering of a wide range of desserts, coffees, and teas. MSA President Fahad Alharbi then did a short presentation on the holiday and what it means to Muslims.
He encouraged the audience to get involved by asking questions about his presentation, and giving out chocolate treats as prizes.
Afterward, everyone was encouraged to eat some traditional Middle Eastern food, including rice, meat, salad and more.
Sophomore electrical engineering student Enya Kent said the event was a good opportunity for dispelling many of the stereotypes people have about Muslims, and gave more insight into who they really are.
“It’s nice to see people in the community, who just happen to be Muslim, come together and celebrate a holiday and share it with other people. I wish more people—especially those that have negative stereotypes—could participate in events like this,” Kent said.
In addition to the food, attendees also had the opportunity to witness a Muslim prayer—and later on— an Arabic cultural dance.
Uhood felt that the event was able to effectively unite students, professors and Ada residents from different backgrounds, and provided the opportunity
for socializing and increasing religious and cultural awareness.
Kent agreed that there is a great importance to these experiences that allow people to see that we have much more in common than we may think, despite our differences.
“It’s something we can all relate to: nice people, eating food and celebrating a holiday—it’s universal,” Kent said.