To celebrate Ramadan, the Muslim Student Association will sponsor its third annual Ramadan Night tonight.
Ramadan is the holiest month on the Islamic calendar. It is the month in which the Quran was revealed to the prophet Muhammad.
The Quran is the book that contains the basic teachings of Islam.
During Ramadan, Muslims celebrate receiving the Quran and ask Allah for blessing to learn more verses and for more revelations from the Quran, said Mohamad Ismail, a sophomore chemistry major and member of MSA.
Additionally, they fast from sunrise to sunset daily and abstain from arguing, he said.
"It's a way of making you remember what you have and appreciate it," Ismail said.
A chief goal of Ramadan Night is to destroy negative stereotypes that unfairly associate Islam with terrorism and mistreatment of women, he said.
"I hope people get a better understanding of what Islam is, and I hope they lose a lot of the stereotypes associated with Islam," Ismail said.
Ramadan Night is from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Nebraska Union Centennial Ballroom and will feature Islamic cuisine prepared by the Indian Café of Omaha, video presentations, a question and answer session as well as a guest speaker.
The speaker is Sheikh Khalid Yasin of Atlanta, who will speak about Ramadan and Islam and take questions afterward to facilitate a clearer understanding, said MSA President Tareq Khedir Al-tiae.
"I hope people get a clearer understanding of why Muslims fast," he said.
Most of all, Al-tiae said, MSA was glad to have an opportunity to get together and share its culture with the student body. He encouraged students of all religions and cultures to attend Ramadan Night.
"We want people to enjoy the speaker and the food," he said. "It's all about being together and learning while having a good time."
Tickets are $10 and are available at the booth in the Nebraska Union prior to the event.
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