Two weeks into the Islamic holy month, Muslims at Monash University have described it as the most painful Ramadan they have observed.

Since the onset of the Israel-Gaza war, the university’s Muslim community has experienced insurmountable waves of grief, leading to protests and talks with Monash representatives. 

Rehaab Hassan, a Public Health student at Monash, says that the start of Ramadan amid the ongoing destruction in Gaza has prompted her to practise greater gratitude this year.

“With everything that is going on in Palestine, this Ramadan has been a very big wake-up call,” she says.

Ramadan is typically a charitable and reflective time for Muslims, and they are encouraged to build their spiritual connection to God through fasting, prayer and acts of goodness. 

However, Islamic Relief reports that families in Gaza have begun Ramadan under harsh conditions, with overcrowded shelters and no access to food and clean water.

The number of people displaced stands at a staggering 1.7 million and more than 60 per cent of Gaza's residential infrastructure lies in ruin, according to faith-based relief and development agency Islamic Relief Worldwide. The war has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians since October 7, according to news agency Reuters.  

Dr Aydogan Kars, a senior lecturer in Islamic and Interreligious Studies at Monash University, says that the destruction of sacred sites in Gaza like mosques, churches, universities, hospitals and aid buildings will significantly impact Ramadan for Gazans — and for Muslims worldwide. 

“The dimensions that are at the core of Ramadan — contemplation, the spirit of Ramadan, to gather with family — have been significantly wounded,” Kars says.

He explains that Palestine, particularly Jerusalem, has been a crucial learning and cultural centre throughout Muslim civilisation. According to Kars, it was historically a place of co-existence, and Jerusalem was the first direction of prayer before Mecca in Saudi Arabia. 

“Many intellectuals and activists, whether they are Muslim or not, see Palestine as an issue of global injustices ... and the continuous colonisation of the Global South by the Global North,” Kars says.

“It is a central place of acknowledging the rights of Indigenous communities around the world,” he says.

Monash University’s Muslim students, like Hassan, feel that a Ramadan with no ceasefire means the Islamic month feels less celebratory compared to previous years. 

“We used to put a lot of Ramadan decorations up in the house, but now it feels hypocritical,” Hassan says.

“Every Muslim was like, ‘How are they going to manage in Ramadan with the fasting and the constant scene of death?’”

Lana Abdelhalim, a Palestinian student and activist, says feelings of guilt and grief are widespread among Monash Muslims.

Instead of excitement, Abdelhalim shares how they have entered this Ramadan with a profound sense of sorrow.

“You feel guilty falling asleep, you feel guilty that you can pray in peace, you feel guilty that you have food on your table,” Abdelhalim says. 

The biomedical student, whose family lives in the West Bank, says people fear that the Israeli attacks against Palestinians can increase during the holy month. She refers to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as the "IOF" (Israel Offensive Forces).

Abdelhalim regularly attends Iftar, the fast-breaking evening meal, held by the Monash University Islamic Society, and she says the ongoing destruction is a constant concern for them.

“I have not been to a single Iftar where Palestine was not mentioned,” she says. 

In light of the Israel-Gaza war, Victorian Muslims have chosen to boycott the Premier’s Iftar, and students at Melbourne University have staged a walk-out during a university Iftar. 

The Islamic Council of Victoria welcomed the cancellation of the Premier’s Iftar, stating it is an appropriate response for members of the Muslim community who are traumatised by the events in Gaza.  

Kars notes that attending Iftars organised by Western institutions has always been a divisive issue within Muslim communities, particularly when organised by leaders who actively violate human rights. 

“In the previous years, for example, some Muslim organisations were severely criticised for joining the Iftar organised by Donald Trump, who was in fact leading the Muslim ban,” he says. 

“They argue that you need to boycott these types of events to develop a political voice."

Abdelhalim believes that the Victorian Muslim community now views these events as performative.

“It’s not just about gathering people on a table and saying, ‘Hey guys, let’s eat’," she says. "It is about what you are doing to our community.”  

Abdelhalim serves as the secretary of the Monash Arab Society, where she champions Palestinian rights and questions Monash University's position on the matter.

After Monash University issued a statement on October 17 about the Israel-Hamas conflict, 485 Monash students, staff and alumni signed a petition that deemed the statement one-sided for explicitly condemning Hamas, without mentioning Palestinians or who was causing the casualties in Gaza.

The university has not publicly responded to the petition, but Abdelhalim says the Monash Arab Society and other student-run organisations are in discussions with Monash. 

Hassan, as well as Abdelhalim, says the Victorian Government and Monash University’s response to the issue has amplified feelings of mistrust within their communities.  

“We still need a group of people pressuring the government and pressuring companies,” Hassan says.

The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on March 23 demanding a ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan, by a vote of 14-0, with the United States being the only abstention. 

This has led to mixed reactions from Monash’s Muslim students and staff. Some say the resolution is a moment of relief, while others believe it is not enough. As Abdelhalim says, “A ceasefire without liberation will require us to keep calling for a ceasefire every single year." 

She and Hassan are among the concerned faction of Monash students calling for an immediate and enduring ceasefire in the region — with the Monash4Palestine online account (a Palestinian-led coalition of students, faculty and alumni) having amassed more than 1,000 followers since October. 

“An actual ceasefire would require recognising what’s actually happening in Palestine, giving Palestinians their rights [and] sanctioning Israel,” she says.