Inter-Campus Community Iftar Brings Davis and Sacramento together

By Ras H. Siddiqui

The Muslim Faculty Staff Associations (MFSAs) at UC Davis & UC Davis Health, organized the 2 nd Annual UC Davis & Sacramento State Inter-Campus and Community Iftar (Ramadan breaking of the fast) at the Activities and Recreation (ARC) Ballroom on the UC Davis campus on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. It united the two largest universities in the area and the cities which bear their names. This Iftar was a continuation of an event which we hope will become a tradition for years to come, and a happy one too, for the faculty, students, faith communities and many ethnicities from across the Sacramento region.

Last year the host for this inter-campus Iftar was Sacramento State (officially California State University (CSU) Sacramento) and it was only befitting that the University of California, Davis should be its venue this year. The President of CSU Sacramento, J. Luke Wood and Chancellor of UC Davis, Gary S. May were both present on the occasion, a notable example of and testament to our causeway unity. It is not just the freeway joining the two cities now but the Muslim community as well.

The evening started off with a short welcome from emcee Joseph Avery who works for UC Davis Health (UCDH) and is a Vice Chair of its MFSA. He described Ramadan as a beautiful time of the year, a month seen as an “Old Friend” by Muslims whom we meet once a year. It is a time not only for fasting but an opportunity to connect with one another and the wider community. An estimated 25% of the global population participates in Ramadan, he said. Avery also introduced the first speaker, Erum Abbasi Syed, Co-Chair of the MFSA at UC Davis.

Erum also happens to be a CSU Sacramento Alumna, so she is a one-person causeway connection in her own right. She said that we are deeply grateful to host our non-Muslim friends and colleagues who have joined us in this breaking of the fast today along with members of the Muslim community. Syed highlighted some of the challenges faced by the Muslims recently which even necessitated a change in the program schedule. The two Palestinian speakers who were slated to speak here did not. Erum also regretted the recent (national) verbal attacks on campus Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices and commended the staff for their resilience. She reflected on their courage and a fight for dignity. Erum also described Ramadan as a time of family, gratitude, and hope.

Department of Sociology CSU Sacramento Professor Ayad S. Al-Qazzaz next took the opportunity to introduce CSU Sacramento President Luke Wood. Professor Al-Qazzaz has been teaching at the university for over 50 years now and is a legend in his own right. He described the month of Ramadan as not only a religious month but a time of building community and togetherness. He asked for a round of applause for UC Davis Chancellor Gary May for hosting us today. He then proceeded to introduce CSU President Luke Wood whom he described as a dynamic visionary, full of energy and a source of inspiration. President Wood is the youngest President in the CSU system and is also a fine scholar and prolific author.

President Wood may have been at a different campus at this event, but he was still amongst many friends. He started his speech with “Ramadan Mubarak.” He extended his thanks to UC Davis and Chancellor May for his hospitality and commended all those who organized this event and thanked them for their community leadership. “I am truly grateful, and the community is grateful too,” he said. “Islam is a religion of peace and Ramadan is an opportunity for unity and togetherness,” he added. I am incredibly proud that we were able to be part of it this year. During Ramadan we acknowledge the sharing of the public good and advancing the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. President Wood stressed the importance of coming together when some other people are doing the opposite. He said that we are  committed to fostering interfaith and interreligious dialogue in programming at Sacramento State. Our university is a diverse community. We have many students from the Muslim community who are participating in honoring Ramadan. We are grateful and proud that they are a part of our campus community. In closing the CSU President added that this year he had a chance to participate in Ramadan for the first time and that it has been a learning experience.

With Iftar time fast approaching Chancellor May agreed to speak after the Iftar meal. Ibrahim, an undergraduate student at UCD, came up to the stage and performed a beautiful Adhan (call to prayer) signaling the end of the fast which was done with the consumption of dates and water. Non-Muslims went for dinner first, and Muslims joined them after their prayers.

The task of introducing Chancellor May was left to UC Davis MFSA Executive Officer Andrew Li who did much more than just that and ended up really moving the listeners with his very emotional delivery. Highly accomplished, Chancellor Gary S. May has an academic background which includes a master’s and PhD degree in engineering from UC Berkeley. He has also received several awards and is known for his empathy, said Li. Chancellor May is the first African American Chancellor of UC Davis and only the second one in the history of the UC System.

Chancellor May started his speech with “Ramadan Mubarak.” He thanked and officially welcomed everyone attending on behalf of UC Davis. He also recognized his friend, Sacramento State’s President Wood who shares his deep commitment to inclusion in higher education. He said that the UC Davis vision is rooted in constitutional protections and civil rights laws. He went into more details of the principles that guide the UC System and described this event as a direct example of those principles in action, which celebrate the common threads that tie us together. He said that he was grateful for this opportunity to listen and share with the (Muslim) community. Part of Ramadan calls for compassion and helping those in need, and the breaking of the fast is a powerful symbol of these values, he said. By fasting and sharing this meal, we empathize with those that suffer deprivation, and the experience encourages us to commit ourselves towards building a more equitable world. The Chancellor  also heralded the contributions of the Muslim community on campus and recognized three individuals specifically. “I want UC Davis to be a place where all belong,” he said. Thank you, Chancellor May!

The event ended with closing remarks by Dr Mark Wheeler, Senior Advisor to President Wood, CSU Sacramento. Mark thanked everyone and veered the conversation briefly over to the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Readers here should read it carefully too.

To conclude it was great to attend this unique event for the second time. One realizes that national and international events are difficult to ignore but Ramadan is not politically focused. It is one of the core elements of our Deen (faith). Let us share this element of Islam with the wider non-Muslim community whenever we can and let them decide its merits.