With Fort Hamilton’s vibrant Muslim community, the annual Iftar event held by the Muslim Student Association, is an avenue of celebrating the diversity at Fort Hamilton High School. This year’s Iftar, hosted on March 7th, 2025, featured cultural foods and festive people celebrating the Islamic holy month.
During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, abstaining from food and water and spending time to reflect on and strengthen their faith. Iftar, which happens after sunset or Maghrib time, is a meal breaking the fast. In the 83rd street gym, on this day, students and staff gathered to eat, pray, and celebrate their traditions together.
As the sun set, people passed around dates to break their fast. They prayed in unison and lined up to enjoy various Arab cultural delicacies, ranging from mahshi, falafel, and lamb with rice. Afterwards, they enjoyed desserts like baklava and atayef as they laughed and enjoyed the night together.
“Hosting the Iftar is very important to me and the rest of the MSA Club because it’s our time to shine,” said Mariam Zahran, president of Fort’s Muslim Student Association. “It’s considered one of the largest events at Fort Hamilton, and it makes me happy that it’s the Muslim community that’s hosting it. It helps people get more involved with the Muslim faith and culture and allows everyone to enjoy a good time.”
Habiba Hussein, a senior who attended the Iftar, expressed gratitude for the celebration.
“It’s important to me that MSA hosts this Iftar because our school has a large Muslim community and it makes us feel included and it allows us to share our religion with others,” she said.
Attendees left that day feeling a little both physically and spiritually fuller, acknowledging the importance of celebrating their traditions in a school bursting with vibrant and diverse traditions.
“My favorite part of the Iftar is seeing the different cultures that attend and it really shows that you don’t have to be Muslim to celebrate Ramadan with your friends,” said Zahran. “I hope people see how much food, family, and culture are important to Muslims and Arabs and how much such simple things can bring people together.”
