Amidst poverty and despair, SF State students, faculty and community members brought celebration and hope to Muslim families living in the Tenderloin.

An Itfar, a dinner after sundown that breaks the fast in the holy month of Ramadan, was held for 75 families living in San Francisco’s poorest neighborhood.

“It’s something we like to do for these families,” said volunteer Yusra Ben-Halim. “It gives the people of the neighborhood a chance to celebrate and be together.”

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar, is memorialized by prayer, worship and fasting. During the month, eating and drinking are forbidden during daylight hours. Smoking, swearing, and other unhealthy practices are also not allowed during the month and sex is not allowed during fasting. The fast is broken each day with prayer and an Itfar. Ramadan began this year on October 4 and will end on November 3.

The event was organized by Zawaya, a non-profit organization that promotes Arabic culture and art. Among the night’s events was prayer, dinner, and presents.

“The selection of the Tenderloin is because there are over 200 Arab and Muslim families that live in a harsh environment with no resources,” said SF State Arabic lecturer and Zawaya board member Fayeq Oweis. “We wanted to make them feel included and part of the larger community.”

Zawaya has been holding an Itfar in the Tenderloin since 2000 when President Nabila Mango found a way to help the growing Arab and Muslim community in the Tenderloin area. The event is timely, in that Ramadan is also a month of giving and charity.

According to Ben-Halim, the event grows in popularity each year, and so only residents of zip codes 94102 and 94109 were allowed to attend this time.

The Arab community of San Francisco supported the night by donating to each of the families full meals to break their fast, gifts, and bags of food.