Photos credit: Mohammed Oussama Abbassi
Doha, Qatar: With spirituality and self-reflection underlined as Ramadan progresses, students in Qatar find themselves at the intersection of faith and education.
This month offers both unique challenges and enriching experiences for international students studying in Qatar.
What Ramadan means
Qatar University (QU) student enrolled in the Arabic Program, Aicha tells The Peninsula how Ramadan for her is a journey filled with contemplation and introspection. In her own words: “For the first time, spiritual nourishment becomes a form of sustenance for the body.”
She adds, “As I learn, I feel my soul being fed and growing in parallel with my mind.”
Students gathering and socializing during Ramadan nights. Photo by: M, Oussama Abbassi.
Not far away from QU, Safa, from the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI), speaks about the resilience and adaptability that Ramadan instills within her, especially when experienced away from her country, her people, and her home.
The Moroccan student says, "Our memories are like a blacksmith, forging moons from trivial iron. As you grow older and reminisce about these challenging youthful days, you perceive them as beautiful, especially during the months of Ramadan studying abroad alone.”
Her experience as an international student dealing with the hardships of this holy month helps her find solace and cultivates happy memories that stay with her forever.
Meanwhile for the final year students, Ramadan is bitter sweet as its their last one in the country as was stated by the University of Doha for Science and Technology student, Sundus, who hails from Turkiye.
She says, “Being a 4th year student, I am trying my best to make the most out of my last Ramadan with my university friends because experiences like this can only be lived when you are a student.’’
A different Ramadan
Israeli onslaught in Gaza, which continues even during the holy month, dampened spirits for few on campuses in the country.
UDST student, who chose to remain anonymous, told The Peninsula on how it feels to experience Ramadan this time, which according to him, is very different: “Personally, I think fasting this year is very difficult for me. I see every day what our brothers and sisters in Gaza are facing from the war and how they are hungry and don’t have clean water to drink,” he says.
His face showed clear signs of distress and concern as he further expresses his empathy: “I sometimes feel guilty when I have food available for me to eat every day during Iftar, and then later watch the Palestinians in Gaza being starved to death.”
Managing sleep schedules
Another routine that gets disturbed during this month for most students is their sleep schedule, with Ramadan activities such as prayers and Suhoor taking priority.
Sundus believes that being a university student forces you to prioritize your time and learn how to manage your day to fit everything within the day. In this aspect, she says, “I find myself napping a lot more during day time because it is difficult to get a proper 8 hours sleep at night.”
In Ramadan, sleep schedules are also impacted by the changing kitchen habits of fasting people, as was explained by Zulal, a Turkish student at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, who tends to do her own cooking. “In this month, I’m trying to cook my own food for a change, so I do a lot of groceries shopping and I use our collective kitchen a lot,” she says adding that her schedule becomes tighter leaving no room for free time.
‘A cultural melting pot’
As an international student, it’s indispensable to manifest your own cultural values and traditions.
Moroccan O. Baddad, from Doha Institute, adds that during Ramadan, the atmosphere is incredibly positive with the campus becoming “a cultural melting pot”.
He says, “Our daily schedules now intertwine with our religious practices. Although we are tight on budget, the sharing culture here helps lower the bills.”
Students sharing home cooked meals with a cup of tea. Photo by: M, Oussama Abbassi
Meanwhile for many students, Iftar on campus evokes a nostalgic feeling of breaking their fast around their family members, delighting themselves with their traditional home-cooked meals and watching local entertainment media channels.
Adil, another Moroccan student, also from the Doha Institute reminisces: "Ramadan without Moroccan Harira, Chebakia, and Briouat -traditional Moroccan meals- and without sitting with the family around a table watching 2M - a local media channel- is not a real Ramadan.”
However, there are quite a few fortunate enough to be living with their own families like Sundus who is grateful to be residing with her family here.
There are some who create their own familial atmosphere on campus as was stated by Journalism graduate Intissar from Algeria, who enjoys cooking, and shares her generous food offerings with her fellow students. “Every day I try my best to gather all the Algerian students around one table for Iftar. I cook traditional Algerian meals and sweets and invite all my friends for a delicious Iftar,” she speaks.
Students gathered around Iftar table. Photo by: M, Oussama Abbassi.
In describing her reasons for doing so, she adds: “Sharing food and laughing about trivial matters around a big table can be a very relaxing experience.”
Balancing academics and fasting
Most universities in Qatar change their schedules to accommodate the needs of fasting students and the latter finds that favorable as it enables them to go out at night and attend festivities all around Doha.
Hibat, an Algerian translation student from Hamad Bin Khalifa University states that Ramadan is initially supposed to be a holy month of worship and hard work.
For her, fasting in Qatar isn’t very different from back in her homeland. She takes the opportunity instead to further challenge herself spiritually and academically.
She says, “The quality of education in Qatar can compensate for any ill feelings of nostalgia or lost of self during Ramadan. Instead, focusing on our goals adds more to the true values of this month, of worship, patience, mental clarity, and hard work.”
Overall, these first hand experiences reflect that campus life in Qatar during Ramadan is about embracing the spirit of the holy month, and about developing a deep sense of community for the students.
