With Shaban, the eighth month of the Islamic calendar, having ended and Ramadan already in full swing, millions of Muslims around the world are celebrating the holiest month of the year, where they fast from sunrise to sunset. For those who celebrate, this is a time for personal and spiritual reflection, self-discipline and increased charity donations, or Zakat, to those in need. During Ramadan, Muslims undergo extensive physical and mental sacrifices, and while the rewards of forgiveness of sins and spiritual growth are invaluable, the commitments from fasting to praying require significant lifestyle adjustments. Unfortunately, being a student at an institution unattuned with the religious needs of Ramadan — as many schools in the United States often are — can be challenging.
In a survey of 122 colleges across the United States conducted by Inside Higher Ed, less than half put in place religious accommodation policies for its students. While NYU provides accommodations for its students — including halal meals, limited extensions to dining hall hours and academic accommodations — they fail to provide one of the most important things practicing students need: a place to pray. Prayer is a crucial aspect of Islam, and during Ramadan, it is one of the most important parts of the holiday. The five Salat, or prayer times, often fall between or during classes. Without dedicated prayer spaces for Muslim students, they risk either neglecting their religious commitments, or traveling a long way to the limited available private spaces at NYU. Just last year, NYU opened a prayer space in Bobst Library that is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Aside from this section, the only recognized space for prayer is the Islamic Center on the fourth floor of the Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life.
However, Muslim students and faculty need prayer spaces throughout the year to accommodate praying five times a day with their class schedules. NYU can start small by providing these spaces throughout campus for the month of Ramadan and then progress toward keeping these rooms open for the rest of the year. Temporarily converting office spaces or unused classrooms into prayer rooms could immediately ensure dedicated multi-faith spaces for students in every NYU building. In buildings with multiple stories, it is important to have prayer rooms on each floor to optimize accessibility. In addition to private spaces, some universities have ablution stations so people can wash their hands, feet and face before prayer in student restrooms.
Some of NYU’s current accommodations also fall short. Students have a certain number of accommodations when it comes to Iftar — the meal eaten after sunset during Ramadan. NYU’s Islamic Center provides students and community members free daily meals to break their fast on campus. However, for students who might have class during sunset, it is difficult to get to the Islamic Center before they begin praying Isha, the last prayer of the night, and Taraweeh — an evening prayer often encouraged during the month of Ramadan.
Though NYU had extended dining hall hours in the evening during Ramadan in previous years in addition to Iftar events at the Islamic Center, Muslims who wake up for suhoor — the meal eaten before sunrise — do not have the option of going to the dining hall as the morning have never changed, and must therefore scramble to find food to eat before they begin another day of fasting. By updating its dining hall hours to include suhoor for students who cannot afford to get a meal or are worried about their safety in the middle of the night, NYU can make sure its practicing students remain healthy during their fast.
If it is a matter of the logistical problems involved with keeping an entire kitchen staff present early in the morning or until late into the night, a simple workaround for this problem would be providing a takeout option for students who don’t have time to make it to a dining hall before they close. Students could place an order for halal certified food at some point during the day through Grubhub, which they could pick up later in the day once they break their fast.
In order to fully commit to honoring the traditions of its Muslim students, NYU must also make Eid al-Fitr, a holiday for Muslims to celebrate the end of Ramadan, off for students and faculty. The City University of New York has officially recognized Eid al-Fitr as an official holiday for students. Public schools across the country, including in New York and Michigan, have also begun to recognize Eid al-Fitr as an official holiday to give students time off — and NYU must follow suit.
NYU, along with colleges across the nation, must take action in providing religious accommodations for its Muslim students. To do this, they must listen to the requests and needs of Muslim students on campus to provide the most effective change. Permanent prayer rooms in campus buildings should be nearly as commonly distributed and easy to find as bathrooms. Food should be just as affordable and accessible during suhoor and Iftar as they are during regular months. Students should be given time off to celebrate Eid in the same way students are given time off for other religious holidays. Though NYU has taken important steps in acknowledging their Muslim students during and beyond Ramadan, they have yet to meet the entirety of their needs.
WSN’s Opinion section strives to publish ideas worth discussing. The views presented in the Opinion section are solely the views of the writer.
Contact Leila Olukoga at [email protected].
