Earlier this month Sidney held its first Eid Formal Hall to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr, an Islamic religious festival that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Sidney Medicine student Shathar Mahmood is here to fill us in about the event and what it meant to her.

Formal Hall dinners are traditional and popular events in the Cambridge weekly calendar, and Sidney's first Eid formal was made even more special by the thoughtful touches from the College catering staff who cooked up some delicious, themed food courses. It was heart-warming to see Muslim Sidney students gathered in the College’s Dining Hall and enjoying intriguing conversations by candlelight over the dinner table. 

I often find myself being the only visibly Muslim individual around the rooms and lecture halls of Cambridge, but in Sidney I have always felt supported and heard. I am lucky to be a member of a College that continues to support all its members whilst also maintaining our long-lived traditions. 

A group of students enjoying Sidney's first Eid formal to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr

Students enjoying Sidney's first Eid formal to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr

This event will hopefully mark the start of an annual interfaith event held in Sidney to celebrate students of different faiths within our community and to raise awareness of different religions and beliefs. I am excited for a new approach towards religious provisions within College and I am grateful to be part of this change. 

Many thanks to the Catering team, the Domestic Bursar and the JCR President for bringing this event to life. 

Written by Shathar Mahmood, third-year Medicine student


If you have something that would make a good news or feature item, please email news@sid.cam.ac.uk