Ramadan 2024

What is Ramadan?

This year our Muslim identifying students and community members will be observing the holy month of Ramadan from approximately the evening of March 10th to April 10th.

Every day for the month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world abstain from worldly pleasures, including eating and drinking from dawn until sunset. This is a time marked by worship, spiritual reflection, charity, and community. During the holy month, Muslims wake up early to eat a pre-dawn meal called ‘Suhoor’, and they break their fast with a sundown meal referred to as ‘Iftar’. Special prayers called ‘Taraweeh’ are conducted after every evening’s last daily prayer (Isha) during the month. The Eid al-Fitr (April 9th - 10th depending on the lunar sighting) celebration marks the end of the month when Muslims celebrate a successful Ramadan of fasting and worship.

Observing Ramadan 2024 at Knox

We remain committed to supporting our Muslim community at Knox during this time. The Intercultural Life and Spiritual Life Offices, in collaboration with Dining Services and Islamic Club, have made the following services available to Muslims at Knox this year:

• Iftar meals

• March 10th - 11th: Dining Services will provide access to the cafeteria until 8:15 pm for students observing Ramadan.
• March 12th - March 25th (Spring break): Students will be provided access to the HOPE Center for Iftar meals.
• March 26th to April 9th: Dining Services will provide access to the cafeteria until 8:15 pm for students observing Ramadan.

• Suhoor meals

• March 10th - 26th (Spring break): Students will be provided access to the HOPE Center for Suhoor meals.
• March 27th - April 9th: Students will be provided access to Wilson House for Suhoor Meals.

• Availability of HOPE Center prayer room for daily prayers.
• Travel to Peoria mosque for select Friday prayers, Taraweeh nights, and the Eid prayer.
• A community Eid dinner celebrating the end of Ramadan.

Supporting Your Students & Peers for Ramadan

We encourage our Knox community to be mindful of their Muslim peers’ needs during Ramadan. Below are some things to be mindful of:

• Understand that your Muslim students and friends may be staying up late to pray Taraweeh every day (especially on Fridays and during the last 10 days of Ramadan) and would wake up early to eat; this means they will have to adjust to a new sleeping schedule.
• Muslim identifying students may choose to reduce the hours they delegate to student organizations or social events in lieu of spending their time in prayer and worship.
• Reach out to your Muslim students and friends and have conversations about how to best support them during the month of Ramadan and understand the challenges they face during this time.
• Understand that while Ramadan is a spiritual time for all Muslims, not all Muslim identifying individuals observe Ramadan or practice their faith in a similar manner.
• Students seeking academic support for their observation of Ramadan should contact Associate Dean of the College Mary Crawford as soon as possible to communicate their needs regarding classwork during Ramadan. More information provided below. 

Resources for Ramadan

Below is a list of resources provided in this email, that you can access and use for information and facilitation during the time of Ramadan:

• https://www.islamicfinder.org/ramadan-calendar/4905687/peoria-ramadan-calendar/
• IslamicFinder explaining the key terms for the month of Ramadan.
• Options for academic support for the month of Ramadan.

You can also access this information and resources at any moment on the Spiritual Life Office’s webpage.

Thank you, as always, for caring about the well-being of all of our students, and especially the well-being of our Muslim students during this beautiful month of Ramadan. We would like to wish our Muslim community a very blessed Ramadan.

If you have any questions about the observance of Ramadan on campus this year, please feel free to reach out to Dan Marlin, Director of Spiritual Life. 

Ramadan Mubarak.

Michael Schneider, Provost and Dean of the College
Dan Marlin, Director of Spiritual Life
Islamic Club