More than a meal: The Department of Computing’s first community Iftar
To mark Ramadan, students in the Department of Computing hosted their first-ever community Iftar, welcoming more than 100 guests to share a meal, learn about fasting, and reflect together. Entirely student-led, the event celebrated openness, curiosity and community while creating space for faith, conversation and cultural understanding.
You may have recently seen or heard about our first-ever Department of Computing community Iftar. Perhaps you even attended in person. For many in our department, particularly my fellow Muslim students, it was a time we are unlikely to forget, and one that demonstrates the strength of our community overall.
Iftar is the meal eaten to break the fast during Ramadan, eaten at sunset and usually shared with family members or the wider community.
There is no shortage of tasks to complete at Imperial; coursework, applications or society roles, student life here is notoriously fast-paced, and Iftar provides a welcome window for reflection. We decided to invite our peers and colleagues to share this occasion with us and learn more about Ramadan.
The event itself was entirely student-led, an immense task given the logistics of sourcing food, organising a room and delivering talks on the day. A big shout out to the team at the Imperial Islamic Society for their assistance with food and volunteers for the Iftar. Openness and accessibility are woven into Iftar traditions across the world; it is not uncommon for mosques to provide a meal for their attendees, and we decided to mirror this practice by eliminating entry fees and sign-ups. Much of the vital planning and coordination on the day was undertaken by Aahil Jouher and Mohammed Tayyab, with support from Dr Jackie Bell (Principal Teaching Fellow for Equality, Diversity, Outreach and Public Engagement), the DoC Equality and Diversity team, and lastly the team of wonderful volunteers from the department.
