MANITOBAN Muslim Students’ Association Bisons win gold in women’s volleyball celebrates Ramadan championships
Milan Lukes, staff
he University of Manitoba Muslim Students’ Association (UMMSA) is marking Ramadan by providing over 8,000 meals to students, assisting followers of the Islamic faith to observe the holy month. Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide as it is believed that the Quran — the holy book — was revealed to the Islamic Prophet during this time, according to Faisal Shamim Zahed, UMMSA internal relations manager. As obligated in the Quran, Zahed explained that Muslims fast during this period which spans the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, lasting either 29 or 30 days depending on the crescent sighting of the moon. This year, Ramadan started on Friday, Feb. 28. Bareera Kamran, UMMSA student life manager, stated that “one of the biggest reasons […] to fast is just to feel compassion for people who have these circumstances all year round, people who don’t get to eat or drink because of poverty or other reasons.” Zahed added that the pur-
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pose of Ramadan can be defined with two Arabic terms — taqwa, meaning “god conscious” and shukr, “being grateful” to God. UMMSA president Ayesha Sultan said, “[Ramadan] is not only the fasting from food, but it is practicing your religion as well, more effectively, and showing the world how we can be more disciplined.” “It is being more mindful, it is being more grounded, it is more about being aware of what our religion is teaching us throughout the month.” Fasting lasts from sunrise to sunset and also includes refraining from drinking beverages, a practice that has lasted for centuries during the holy month.
Free iftar and suhoor provided As part of UMMSA’s efforts to facilitate with Ramadan, as done in previous years, free iftar is being provided in the campus mosque for all days along with suhoor during the final 10 days — key meals during Ramadan.
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Suhoor is the meal eaten before the fast starts, prior to sunrise, whereas iftar is the meal consumed at sunset during the Maghrib prayer — the fourth of the five daily prayers — to break the fast. Adil Hayat, UMMSA external relations manager, said that free suhoor is not provided every day during Ramadan because of funding constraints. “We’re one of the only universities in Canada that does iftar every single day,” he said. Kamran explained that these meals can be “very different,” but specified that iftar is typically dates and water, followed by a larger meal. “Muslims are so diverse and we come from so many backgrounds, so depending on your culture, your background, you would eat many different things,” she said. Sultan stated that this initiative costs approximately $45,000, but mentioned that the UMMSA has received assistance through a GoFundMe donation Cont’d p. 4 / campaign
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The third set started with a point for the Bisons, thanks to an error by the Carabins, but the final set score was 26-24 for the Carabins. The Bisons had 12 kills with only two errors of 29 total attempts for a 0.345 hitting percentage. The fourth set began with higher intensity as the Bisons gave it all in their offence, with a total of 15 kills. The final set score was 25-16. The herd managed to seize the gold by a huge margin. For the Bisons in the offence, three players stood out with the most kills. Raya Surinx led the way with 23 kills, making a significant impact at the net. Light Uchechukwu followed closely behind, delivering 11 kills. Andi Almonte also recording 10 kills. These three were instrumental in driving the Bisons’ attack and keeping the team competitive throughout the match. For the Bisons on Cont’d p. 20 / defence
photo courtesy of / U Sports
The Jumu’ah (Friday) prayer was held in the multipurpose room in UMSU University Centre on March 14, described as the largest prayer session on campus by UMMSA external relations manager Adil Hayat.
The Bisons women’s volleyball team defeated the Montreal Carabins 3-1 in the U-Sports national women’s volleyball gold medal game on Sunday, March 16 at the Investors Group Athletic Centre. The first set was neck and neck for the first few minutes, but then the Bisons edged past the Carabins. The Bisons started strong in the first set, recording 14 kills with only one error on 32 total attempts for a 0.406 hitting percentage. This set was exceptional, and the herd beat the Carabins to win the set 25-20. The second set took a different turn as the Carabins dominated early on, but the herd soon caught up and took the lead. The Carabins’ positioning during defensive moments was brilliant, but the herd was effective with their tips. The second set ended with a set score of 25-19 for the Bisons. The herd recorded 15 kills with four errors on 37 total attempts for a 0.297 hitting percentage.
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photo / Milan Lukes / staff
Faiyaz Chowdhury, staff
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