More than 175 members of the UC Riverside Muslim community and interested guests came together at the UCR School of Medicine for the second annual Community Iftar Potluck, co-hosted by the UCR Middle Eastern Student Center (MESC) and the School of Medicine's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
An iftar is a shared evening meal during Ramadan, held just after sunset when Muslims break their daily fast. The meal traditionally begins with dates and water, followed by prayer and a larger dinner. In addition to the food, a community iftar emphasizes fellowship, reflection, generosity, and unity.
Themed "A Journey Through Ramadan," the iftar began with welcomes from Aliza Alibhai, the UCR Health CAB intern with the Office of DEI, and Muntadhar Aljadeed, MESC student and community organization outreach intern, followed by brief remarks by Denise Martinez, MD, associate dean of DEI, and Gina Waneis, MS, director of the MESC.
Sherif Hassan, MD, professor of internal medicine and executive associate dean of pre-clerkship medical education at the UCR School of Medicine, then presented on "The Physiology of Ramadan: Diurnal Intermittent Fasting. Beyond Spirituality: Metabolic, Cellular, and Critical Perspectives." The talk compared and contrasted the differences between intermittent fasting and the traditional fasting that takes place during the daylight hours of Ramadan and how each can impact the body. Hassan discussed many of these aspects in a recent Q&A on the UCR News website.
Hassan also shared video footage of the longest iftar dining table in the Mataria distrct of Cairo, Egypt. The table measures about 3,000 meters and brings together thousands of residents and visitors, both Muslims and non-Muslims.
At about 5:50 pm, the call to prayer was sounded and Muslim guests went to an adjoining room for the Maghreb prayers, led by Hassan. At the conclusion, the potluck began, featuring food from The Palm Tree restaurant in Riverside and deserts brought by guests.
"I am so happy that everyone was able to come out, eat good food with us, pray with us, and celebrate the month of Ramadan," Alibhai said.
She was heartened by the number of non-Muslims who attended the event and learned more about Ramadan.
"It shows we are being seen as a group of people, and with the current events I am very thankful," she added.
The MESC was founded in 2013 as a student-initiated department with the goal of educating, supporting and buidling community for those who identify as or are interested in Southwest Asian North African and Muslim cultures at UC Riverside.
The Office of DEI at the School of Medicine hosts a wide variety of events throughout the year that celebrate the values of the school and the people of our Inland Empire community.
