The University of Essex is one of the most international universities in the world. We have close to 140 countries represented in our student community and we attract leading academics from around the world. Over 40% of our students come from Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America and Australia and over 25% of our staff come from outside the UK.
But the diversity of our community is more than where our staff and students come from. Many members of our community follow a range of religions or beliefs.
Ramadan is a spiritual month for Muslims and fasting during this month is one of the five pillars of Islam. At Essex, we are so glad that we can welcome our Muslim students to come to break fast together in person again this year.
The Essex Islamic Society and Essex Student Union always organise an Iftar gathering every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with lots of delicious food served after Maghreb prayer together as a community. The food is usually provided by a catering service with a wide variety of options. There are dates, water, main meal (will have various options and will always include rice and meat/chicken), appetisers (samosas, vine leaves, etc.) and fruits. Food stalls of local food from Islamic countries are made and shared among all. The spirit of Ramadan also encourages Muslims to be sociable within the limits of their religion, praying together and sharing meals at the time of iftar (the breaking of the fast) to create a sense of community and social bonding.
We’ve got space for worship, meditation, prayer and quiet reflection at our Faith Centres at Colchester and Southend. We recognise the important role that faith, belief and spirituality plays in the lives of many people. Our multi-faith approach to supporting the University community respects and celebrates differences between faiths and beliefs.
Eid is usually celebrated with prayers performed in a congregation. Essex is a truly international institution with a long history of welcoming students from around the world. Students from all around the world gather together in the squares with their traditional attire celebrating and wishing our Muslims happy Eid will also create a sense of belonging and connectedness. This is usually organised by the Bruneian Society, Malaysian Society, Islamic Society and Student Union. Your time at Essex will be full of opportunities to meet new people, try new things and develop new skills. Your success is at the heart of everything we do, so it might come as no surprise we were University of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards 2018.
We at University of Essex would like to wish everyone a blessed Ramadan! Wishing you and your loved ones a month of peace, health and prosperity. Do check out our Brunei Essex Society IG page to follow all the activities we will be having this month.
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