CSUMB students celebrate Eid and Arab American Heritage Month

By Mark Muckenfuss

It may have been a week after the fact, but the Eid al Fitr event on Friday, March 27, at Cal State Monterey Bay’s Otter Student Union was an important celebration for the students who attended. 

“This kind of gives space to the Muslim community on campus because we don’t see our community represented on campus as much,” said Sarah Wafa. “It brings a sense of belonging and inclusion.”

Wafa, a junior majoring in computer science, was wearing a vibrantly colored hijab and long flowing garment with glittering designs. Her family, which lives in Gilroy, is from Afghanistan and Eid al Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, a month-long observance when Muslims fast during the daylight hours, is an important part of her culture. 

Wafa works in the Asian and Pacific Islander Desi American Center and helped organize the Eid event. It featured halal chicken sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, and french fries and was clearly popular among those attending. 

“It’s great to have a place where Muslim students can come together,” said Tibyan Ahmed, a senior majoring in accounting. “A lot of people don’t have their families here and this brings us together.”

Ahmed’s family lives in Marina, but is from Sudan. She spent four years during her secondary school years, in that country and recalled the feeling of unity that was part of each day of Ramadan.

“When we break our fast at home,” she said, “we do it on the street and anyone can stop and eat. It’s very community oriented. On the morning of Eid, we go to prayer and then we go to our neighbors’ houses and celebrate all day. It’s very important.” 

For some, the Eid celebration seemed a fitting preparatory event for Arab American Heritage Month, which is in April. 

Ahmed said it’s important to bring attention to a culture that many people are not familiar with. Americans, she said, often don’t realize the diversity within the Arab culture. 

“People are shocked when they find out Sudanese people speak Arabic,” she said with a smile. “It’s good to turn over these false perceptions.”

Another Arab student, Zahia “Zuzu” Meri, a senior majoring in kinesiology, said CSUMB had been without an Arab American affinity organization for several years before it was restarted last year. 

“I think it’s important that we come together to celebrate our culture,” Mari said. “Arabs are so diverse.”

She and her sister, Rose, who was also attending the event, are Palestinian. She said one good avenue for people to learn more about the culture is a local community organization.

“There’s actually an Arab American club in Monterey that meets pretty often,” Mari said. “There are people from all sorts of cultures. It’s a nice way to learn about the culture and meet new people.”

Doing so, she and her sister said, can help dispel misconceptions about the Arabic world that are often found in popular media, although Rose said she comes across negative reactions less frequently these days. 

 “I think people are more aware now, and more understanding,” Rose said. “We’re not scary at all.”