À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ

Muslims across the globe are celebrating the Holy month of Ramadan this March. Ramadan began in Canada on March 1, 2025, and many members of the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Muslim community are observing this month of fasting and prayers.

What is Ramadan/ Ramzan about?

Ramadan/ Ramzan is a sacred month for the Muslim faith, where those observing it refrain from any food and water from dawn to sunset. This would translate to 12.5-hours to 14-hours long fasts (accounting for the varying sunrise and sunset times through the course of this month). Muslims dedicate the month (which can be 29 or 30 days long) to fasting, charity, spiritual reflection, seeking forgiveness and bonding with community. They often engage in long late-night prayers. Most people understand that Muslims may be a little low on energy during the day, but most don’t know that they also might be sleep-deprived

Fostering belonging and inclusion for the Muslim community on campus

In keeping with University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ’s values of inclusivity and working together, here are some practices that foster the feeling of belonging within the Muslim community on campus.

Following years of campaigning by Black lawmakers and community advocates, in 2021, the government of Canada federally recognized August 1, as Emancipation Day, and the month of August, as Emancipation Month.

While it was less than 200 years ago, in 1834, that the British Empire ended the practice of slavery in the former British colonies, which included Canada, many Canadians are unaware that Black and Indigenous peoples were once enslaved here.