Ah, Eid ul Fitr, when, after 30 days of no food or water while the sun shines, the practicing Muslims of the world are allowed to indulge in feasting and revelry ’til their belt-buckles burst with delicious joy.

And Sunday night in Roone Arledge was a joyous night indeed as the Muslim Students Association feted several hundred guests of every age and persuasion with music, live performances, and heaping plates of rice and kebabs. This year, the annual event was extra-special, remarked MSA president Adil Ahmed in his opening address, because it also celebrated the organization’s 50th year of existence, which Ahmed likened to a marriage anniversary. “And how many of you have been married 50 years?” he asked the crowd of primarily undergrads, to a few facetious hand-raises.

After an opening prayer and the introduction of guests of honor– Barnard pres. Judith Shapiro (clad in a salwar kameez, no less), some professors, and a bunch of deans were mentioned– guests stuffed kebabs into their gullets at an alarming rate. Post-prandial entertainment consisted of one CC freshman’s stream-of-consciousness stand-up comedy and a cheerful qawwali performance by one Ali Akhtar. After that, while the audience’s collective blood rushed to its collective stomach, it was time for more speeches, addresses, and statements of solidarity. Bwog snuck out of the auditorium humming “dama dam mast kalandar,” content in every sense.

–KER with pics by MIP