Mepham hosts Ramadan Iftar event for Bellmore-Merrick community

Two student groups organized a communitywide event to celebrate Ramadan, with a potluck dinner at Wellington C. Mepham High School on March 21.

Muslims fast during the day during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and Ramadan Iftar is a time of breaking the fast, when families and friends come together each evening to enjoy traditional food and drinks.

The LEO Club, led by advisers Josephine Parlagreco and Neeru Partap, and the newly formed Muslim Student Association, led by adviser Linu Chacko, included students from other schools in the district.

“It was the suggestion of a few students that we expand to the other high schools to start this year as they know many of the Muslim students that attend Calhoun and Kennedy,” Partap said.

There were more than 100 people in attendance and families contributed by bringing at least one tray of food, which included a variety of pasta dishes, traditional meat and rice dishes, and various desserts. Alumni from as far back as 22 years joined the event.

Junior Danya Zaidi presented a slideshow, made by a few Mepham students, that highlighted the meaning behind Ramadan, why it is celebrated, and how they break their fasts each evening. Zaidi, along with Zaib Chaudhary, Zayna Gawish and Kriti Saini, were also instrumental in organizing the evening’s activities. Gawish serves as president of both clubs and came up with the idea last year.

“I helped with this event so people can learn more about our religion and culture,” Gawish said. “Although I’m grateful to have grown up in this town, I find that a lot people don’t understand why we fast and that certain people had this certain image of Islam and Muslims that wasn’t right. Setting up this event, I was hoping that people would see us in a different light, see us who we truly are, kind and peaceful people. I wanted to see my community come together to celebrate among each other and I’m so happy with how it turned out and I hope that this event continues after I graduate this year.”

After that, participants broke their fast, by eating dates and drinking water.

“Anyone that wanted to participate in the prayer went down the hall to a designated classroom that was set up with mats,” Partap said. “We also played the Adhan, or Islamic call to prayer, in the cafeteria for anyone that stayed.”

Many of the non-Muslim students who attended and had not fasted quickly volunteered to help serve the food to everyone else. 

“Our district has changed quite a bit in the past 20 plus years and it is important for all students to feel represented in their community and in their buildings,” Partap said. “We also wanted to educate students in the hopes that they can further gain an insight and appreciation about other religions and cultures practiced by their peers. As our district’s diversity grows, we want to continue to foster this sense of community in all our students, in the hopes that each one feels a true sense of belonging.”