Turkish association hosts iftar meal for int’l students

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA

The Ankara-based Asma Kopru International Student Association is holding iftar (fast-breaking) meals as well as pre-dawn suhoor meals in the holy month of Ramadan for around 170 international students from over 50 countries.

"We have hosted both iftar and suhoor meals for many years. Our association is open 24 hours to international students in the holy month of Ramadan," Hanefi Sinan, the chairman of the association, told Anadolu Agency.

"Alongside international students, we also host guests such as representatives from NGOs, foundations, other associations as well as bureaucrats," Sinan said.

The association is also set to distribute food aid packages to international students during Ramadan.

Fredinant Hasmuca, 31, an Albanian theology student at Ankara University said: "I have been staying in Ankara for seven years. I have been attending Asma Kopru's iftar meals for seven years now. It is kind of a hub for international students where they can have the sense of being part of the Ummah (the global community of Muslims)."

"Despite all differences, we are using the same language and sharing the same feelings," Hasmuca said.

"Asma Kopru gives international students an opportunity to come together and satisfy their longing for home throughout the Ramadan," said Abdul Wahid Abubakar, a civil engineering student who hails from Ghana.