The Pullman Islamic Center will host an open house and dinner celebration on Saturday to celebrate Ramadan and give community members an opportunity to learn more about Ramadan. 

Mohammed Riazul, president of the Pullman Islamic Center, said the spirit of the open house is rooted in sharing the spirit of Ramadan with other religious groups and non-Muslims.

Ramadan serves to uphold the five pillars of Islam that include God, prayer, charity, fasting and pilgrimage, Riazul said.

“Ramadan is a very blessed month and we want to be able to share the values of Ramadan with all other fellow human beings with this [open house],” Riazul said.

Adnan Morshad, treasurer of the Pullman Islamic Center, said the open house will be held at the center on Stadium Way and will commence at 7:00 p.m.

The event will feature speeches and presentations from religious speakers including Muslim community members, a reverend from a church in the region, and the center’s Imam, or religious leader. They will spread the message of Ramadan, he said.

Morshad said attendees will also be able to break the fast with them when the sun goes down, with dates, milk and water, as per tradition. This will be followed by prayer and dinner.

“Whenever we break the fast, it is tradition to be with family,” Morshad said. “So, when we come together in this kind of a setting, it gives us the feeling that we are sharing a meal with our family even if we are not.

Ramadan is an annual celebration of the revelation of the Quran and the values that it stands for, Morshad said.

He said that Ramadan teaches and trains one’s mind to fight against negative thoughts and empowers them with the skills to live without sin for the remaining 11 months. Fasting is an important part of this celebration as a test of one’s ability to curb negative thoughts and desires like greed, Morshad said.

The Islamic center, which has been hosting the Ramadan open house for many years now, also sees it as an opportunity to allow community members to witness the proceedings, Morshad said. They receive multiple queries from curious passers-by about what goes on inside the center.

“We want to take out that barrier and let them see what we do,” Morshad said.