By Nicole Reynolds
Correspondent
The food court in the Brower Student Center was buzzing with discussion, culture and food for the Muslim Student Association’s 7th annual Eid al-Adha dinner on Thursday, Nov. 8.
This event, which had both Middle Eastern and IndoPak food, was coupled with a thought-provoking lecture given by a guest speaker. Faraz Khan provided background information on Abraham, the Muslim prophet, and insight into Eid al-Adha, the celebration of Abraham’s faith in God.
“Why are we here tonight?” Khan asked the audience. This question allowed Khan to talk about Abraham and why his sacrifices and selflessness should be commemorated.
“The greatest service you can provide is sacrifice,” Khan said. He said that one can only give something if one has something to be given in the first place.
Putting a more modern twist on the story of Abraham, Khan related the sacrifice Abraham made to the students currently at the College pursuing an education.
“Education — if you have it, you can give it to other children,” Khan said. He spoke many times about the greatest service that we, as citizens, can supply to one another: sacrifice.
Khan’s closing remarks led to the main course: haan, vegetable pulao, beef seekh kabab, hummus and an abundance of appetizers from the Sahara Restaurant in New Brunswick and Shahi Palace in Lawrenceville. The line for the food snaked through the food court, carrying with it a salivating aroma.
People from various ethnic groups and religions flocked together to enjoy the evening.
“I thought it was great to see all different people from different cultures and backgrounds come together to enjoy a cultural event of this sort,” said Casey Donohue, freshman communication studies major.
Amreen Ahmed, senior biomedical engineering major and president of the Muslim Student Association, had high hopes for this event.
“The biggest thing was to get our name out there to students and to give back to the TCNJ community,” Ahmed said.
Sumaiya Rahim, a sophomore business major, who holds the position as the social and community service chair on the executive board for the Muslim Student Association, thought that the event went really well.
The event proved to be just what the president had hoped for. Students who had never experienced the Muslim culture before were pleasantly greeted with Khan’s story, as well as the opportunity to sample new, enticing food.
