GU-Q Hosts Annual Community Iftar

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (GU-Q) recently hosted an annual Community Iftar for its campus community members. In the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan, GU-Q students, faculty, staff and their families came together for the annual Iftar at the W Hotel’s Sultan’s Tent in a traditional and festive setting.

For Muslims, Ramadan is a holy month dedicated to prayer, personal reflection, charity and fasting during the sunlight hours. After sun has set, those observing Ramadan break their fast with an evening meal called iftar, usually with family and friends devoting time to share the iftar meal with others in the spirit of solidarity.

SFS-Q Assistant Director of Human Resources for Employment, Karen Rasch, said: “The SFS-Q HR team is always keen on inviting the Georgetown community to come together, and there is no better occasion than Ramadan — for having our students, staff and their families gathering in a wonderful Iftar atmosphere to further strengthen our community ties.”  

The date of Ramadan is determined by the Islamic lunar calendar, so it falls about 11 days earlier each year than it did the year prior.

In previous years, when the holy month of Ramadan would occur during the regular academic year the University would normally host a campus Community Iftar once a week but when Ramadan occurs during the off season only a single annual Community Iftar is held for the community members, in addition to the GU-Q Alumni Suhoor event which is traditionally organized and hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations at a chosen local venue and is open to all GU-Q alumni in the GCC.