{"id":183730,"date":"2025-05-12T03:06:36","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T03:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=183730"},"modified":"2025-05-12T03:07:19","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T03:07:19","slug":"one-ummah-many-tastes-cultural-harmony-at-the-pg-syawal-gathering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=183730","title":{"rendered":"One Ummah, Many Tastes: Cultural Harmony at Postgraduate Syawal Gathering"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By, Nur Aswani Mohd Azhar<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Postgraduate Syawal Gathering held on 29 April 2025 at Wadi Budi, IIUM was more than just an Eid celebration\u2014it was a beautiful display of cultural harmony and unity among postgraduate students. Organized by the Postgraduate Student Society (PGSS) in collaboration with the Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CPS), the event brought warmth, flavour, and connection to the heart of the campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graced by Deputy Dean of CPS, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Azhar bin Mohd Ibrahim, the gathering welcomed local and international students to experience Eid through a global lens. Attendees were treated to an exciting range of dishes from countries such as Indonesia, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Palestine, and Malaysia. Highlights included Malaysia\u2019s comfort food nasi ayam and the sweet Palestinian basbousa, symbolizing the blend of cultures that make up IIUM\u2019s postgraduate community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For students far from their families\u2014especially during festive seasons\u2014the event offered more than just good food. It was a space of shared belonging, emotional relief, and a reminder that the postgraduate journey, while challenging is also filled with collective strength and support. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about food and celebration,\u201d said one participant, \u201cbut about feeling at home in a foreign land.\u201d\u00a0The gathering also featured performances and light cultural exchanges, encouraging everyone to interact, learn, and appreciate one another\u2019s heritage. It was an evening of smiles, stories, and solidarity\u2014reflecting the essence of One Ummah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind the successful coordination of the event was Indonesian postgraduate student\u00a0Fakhri Abrar, who\u00a0is\u00a0also\u00a0the\u00a0Secretary General\u00a0PGSS. His leadership ensured the event ran smoothly, inclusively, and meaningfully,\u00a0bringing both cultural depth and festive joy to everyone present. The PG Syawal Gathering serves as a timely reminder that while postgraduate life can be isolating, especially for international students, community-driven events like this are vital. It fosters understanding, inspires empathy, and celebrates the very diversity that makes IIUM a unique place for learning and living.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Students visiting cultural food stalls and enjoying traditional dishes from Indonesia, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Palestine, and Malaysia<\/em>***<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By, Nur Aswani Mohd Azhar The Postgraduate Syawal Gathering held on 29 April 2025 at Wadi Budi, IIUM was more than just an Eid celebration\u2014it… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":239,"featured_media":183731,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,4,6,3],"tags":[],"nelio_content":{"isAutoShareEnabled":true,"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"followers":[257,239],"suggestedReferences":[],"efiUrl":"","efiAlt":"","highlights":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_1582.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183730"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/239"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=183730"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":183777,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183730\/revisions\/183777"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/183731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=183730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=183730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=183730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}