Ramadan is a time marked by spiritual dedication, self-control, and gratitude. Muslims fast from food and drink during daylight hours, ending with a sunset prayer and a breaking of the fast. Photo courtesy of Paul Riel

Dining Services

Students Fasting for Ramadan Find a Home at the GSU

BU is offering iftar and suhoor meals for Muslims celebrating the holy month

On a recent late afternoon, students began lining up outside the GSU Back Court in anticipation of two things: the doors opening and the sun setting. At sunset, they would break their daylong fast with a large halal-certified meal and the company of their Muslim community.

Just inside the Back Court doors was an extensive spread of halal-certified dishes: farro salad, lentil soup, seasonal vegetables, lamb, and watermelon with yogurt. Long tables crowded with chairs awaited the students, who were anticipating the moment they could sit down with friends, and strangers, to observe one of the holiest months of the year.

It is the month of Ramadan, a time marked by spiritual dedication, self-control, and gratitude. Muslims fast from food and drink during daylight hours, ending with a sunset prayer and a breaking of the fast. This sunset meal is called the iftar and the predawn meal the suhoor. This year, Ramadan falls between March 11 and April 9, And BU Dining Services is offering iftar and suhoor meals on weekdays. 

“Having a guaranteed meal here every single night that we know is going to be halal helps us fulfill our religious obligations,” says Adam Shamsi (CAS’24, GRS’24). “But, Ramadan is also about coming together and being part of the community. It’s really hard to do that if everyone is breaking their fasts in different places, so it’s good to have a centralized place on campus.”

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which is a lunar calendar, meaning months are based on the moon rather than the sun (as in the Gregorian calendar). The lunar year is shorter than the solar year, so the exact dates of Ramadan shift each year, but it is usually a period of 29 to 30 days.

Students on the dining plan can redeem a dinner swipe for the iftar meals, and can also use guest swipes for friends. Religious Life and BU Student Government are subsidizing the cost of iftar meals to foster religious inclusion, so students without meal plans can attend iftar meals at no cost. 

For the first time, takeaway suhoor meals will also be available for pickup during iftar meals. Students must place their suhoor meal order by 6 pm on the day before it will be picked up through the Rhetty-To-Go service. Students on the dining plan can redeem a lunch swipe for a suhoor meal; those without a dining plan can pay $16.70.

Previously, meals were handled by the Islamic Society of Boston University. This year, however, BU Dining Services and Religious Life took on the duties. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, Dining Services staff say, with over 200 students lining up per night for the meals. 

Gary Arthur, director of residential dining for Aramark, says his team is committed to offering “a meal program rooted in inclusivity” and wants to make sure the food is authentic and the environment has the “hospitality of home.” 

The menu was designed in collaboration with Auxiliary Services, BU Dining, Residence Life, Religious Life, and student organization leaders. Students were invited to taste food options and provide feedback.

“I don’t have to worry,” Nimet Ozdemir (CAS’27) says. “I can still eat protein without worrying if the meat is halal at the dining hall.”

Other final dishes include skewers of cilantro chicken kofta, with lemon garlic yogurt sauce; simmered lamb haleem slow-cooked in legumes, herbs, and spices; and stuffed eggplant with lamb, vegetables, and lemon zest. For dessert, mango lassi, crème caramel, and diced watermelon with yogurt, poppy seed, and fried rosemary are available.

BU is strongly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and so it’s important that a “diversity of religions” is also represented on campus, says Rev. Jessica Chicka (STH’07,’11,’19), Marsh Chapel’s chaplain for international students. “This is a huge observance in Islam for the students,” she says. “If you [were] at home you [would] be celebrating with your family, or you might be going to your local mosque. Here, BU is their community.”