Staff Writer: Eryca Gomez

 Senior Hajar and junior Yousef Aldhafeeri lead March’s Multicultural Club meeting with a presentation dedicated to the religious observance of Ramadan. The siblings are muslim students, meaning they are followers of the religon of Islam. In their presentation they covered the meaning of Ramadan and its origin. 

  Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic calendar and is a month of prayer, fasting, and community. The naming of Ramadan stems from the Arabic root “ar-ramad,” which means scorching heat. Muslims believe that in A.D. 610, the angel Gabriel appeared to Prophet Muhammad and revealed to him the Quran, the Islamic holy book. 

  “Ramadan is determined by the sight of the new moon. The start of the month is different every year,” Yousef explained to the club.

  This year’s Ramadan is from April 1st to May 1st, followed by Eid al-Fitr, a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide because it marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting experienced during Ramadan. 

     In addition to the presentation, the students set up moon colorings and handed out Arabic candy and pastry bags. The club director Laura Dejong also informed the club about a multicultural fest involving other NISD high school multicultural clubs. The fest will be May 25th from 6-8 pm at Stevens HS.