{"id":553,"date":"2023-06-26T18:48:45","date_gmt":"2023-06-26T18:48:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/?page_id=553"},"modified":"2026-03-10T16:33:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T20:33:16","slug":"answers-to-common-questions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/communities\/muslim-life\/answers-to-common-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Answers to Common Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<!-- Inserted by Dropdownizer plugin. Forces video embeds contained in dropdowns to have a size --><style>.dropdownizer__dropdown iframe { width: 100% !important; height: 100% !important; }<\/style>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is Jumm\u2019ah held on campus?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The VMSA holds Jumm\u2019ah (Friday congregational prayer) every Friday in the Pratt House meditation space. Students take turns writing and\/or giving khutbahs (public addresses). We will sometimes invite guest imams or community members to lead the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What types of activities does the Muslim Students Association offer?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The VMSA gathers weekly for General Body meetings where they have discussions, share homemade or catered food, watch movies, partake in halal s\u2019mores, play games, or relax after a busy week. Sometimes we collaborate with other organizations to host community discussions or go on off-campus excursions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During Ramadan, the VMSA organizes community iftars, pre-prepared suhoor and iftar meals, and student-led Taraweeh prayers. We also arrange for students to go off-campus for iftars and prayers at local mosques. This year, the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and Contemplative Practices provided students with overnight access to the Pratt house, which also has a kitchen, for daily iftars and sahoors. VMSA provides transportation to a local mosque for Eid prayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where can I get halal food?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Vassar\u2019s dining hall, Gordon Commons, regularly offers certified halal chicken. Dishes labeled with a blue HL circle are halal. There are also a few <a href=\"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/communities\/muslim-life\/hudson-valley\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/communities\/muslim-life\/hudson-valley\/\">restaurants<\/a>, within driving distance, that serve up some yummy halal dishes too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Mid-Hudson Market in Wappingers carries halal meat as does some of our local grocery stores. And if you\u2019re up for a bit of a drive, there is the Halal Pastures farm across the river that sells organic halal meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is Muslim Life only a space for devout Muslims?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Muslim Life is here for anyone and everyone, regardless of your practice, politics or background. One of the brightest aspects of the Muslim community is our diversity, which includes the various ways we practice or don't practice. Being Muslim on a college campus is more than just about prayer spaces and halal food. Building community is part of our tradition and our practice, and community is about sharing a meal, helping each other study for the next exam or taking a walk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is Jumm\u2019ah held on campus? The VMSA holds Jumm\u2019ah (Friday congregational prayer) every Friday in the Pratt House meditation space. Students take turns writing and\/or giving khutbahs (public addresses). We will sometimes invite guest imams or community members to lead the service. What types of activities does the Muslim Students Association offer? The VMSA gathers [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1446,"parent":521,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-553","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=553"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1447,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/553\/revisions\/1447"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/521"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}