Despite being raised Muslim, it wasn’t until Hafsa Khana started college in 2022 that she’d felt she finally grasped the personal significance of her religion.

“I was born Muslim, so that has always been taught to me,” she said. “But being away from home has allowed me to become Muslim in my own perspective.”

Khan is now a sophomore at Indiana University, and the President of IU’s Muslim Student Association (MSA).

Since March 10, she and many other MSA members have been celebrating Ramadan- an important time of reflection and unity for Muslims. 

“It is a month in which our holy book, the Quran, was revealed,” she said. “It is a way to physically be God conscious, because the rest of the year you really can do whatever you want.”

This God conscious month entails special practices and traditions. Muslims pray at least five times a day, fast from sunrise to sunset and even go out of their way to act in faith.

But, how do college students balance all of these extra responsibilities while living on their own and going to school?

Khan said fasting and getting less sleep can make the holiday a little more complicated as a student.

“It’s definitely harder with school, but the point of Ramadan is that it really helps me manage my self-control,” she said. “Even though not everyone around me here is doing it, it’s helped me make sure that I’m on top of my own worship.”

Khan said MSA has helped her and many other students adjust to practicing Ramadan without their families, including freshman general member Alaa Abdelsalam.

Abdelsalam is a pre-med student adjusting to practicing Ramadan in college. After growing up her whole life in Egypt, she moved to Fishers, Indiana three years ago. She said her busy first-year class schedule in Bloomington has overlapped with some traditional Ramadan responsibilities.

“I have a prayer that’s between my three classes so I kind of have to run to find an empty room,” she said. “By the time I finally rush to my next class I am so tired.”

But through that extra tiredness, Abdelsalam said the hard work is worth it.

“I love my religion, I love talking about my religion and I love practicing my religion,” she said.

As her first year of college comes to an end, Abdelsalam said she has had positive experiences overall. 

“My friend group, they have been really supportive of me,” she said, sharing a story of her friends staying off social media apps like TikTok out of respect for her personal goal to consume less media during Ramadan. 

Khan has also felt supported in her college journey this far, but she found it at the local mosque, where she said she feels safe. 

As the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has led to violent outbreaks across the nation, “safe” is an important feeling for many Muslim students to have at this time. According to the Population Reference Bureau, about 99% of people in Gaza are Muslim.

The holiday ends on April 9. If you are not personally practicing Ramadan traditions and you want to support people who are, Khan said there is one thing everyone can do.

“Just have an open mind,” she said. “A lot of people have misconceptions, but once we kind of talk and get to know each other, we’re really not that different.”