National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) has nearly 500 overseas students enrolled in its programs. Among these, 11 are from Pakistan and 71 from Indonesia, both of which have large Muslim populations. For followers of the Muslim religion, the month of Ramadan is an important time of the year—and it is a time which ends with the Eid al-Fitr celebration (Feast of Breaking the Fast). In order to bring this celebration to Muslim students away from home during the holiday, the Pakistani Student Union and the Indonesian Student Union jointly held Eid al-Fitr actives on campus on March 29th and 31st this year (2025). International students and their families gathered to enjoy the warm and joyful celebration together. So, even though they are in a foreign country, the students were able to feel a sense of belonging—and that “Taiwan is like a second home”—thanks to the organizers of the events.
The Pakistan and Indonesian student unions warmly invited all Muslim students and their families to attend the Iftar gathering, so that they could embrace the blessings of Ramadan and share the joy of the holy month together. According to the National Religious Information Network, Eid al-Fitr is scheduled for the 1st day of the 10th month on the Islamic calendar. The festival is a time for Muslims to celebrate the end of Ramadan, which falls on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. One of the two most important annual holidays in Islam is the month of Ramadan. During this month, which is a month of fasting, Muslims can normally only eat after dusk and before sunrise, but must stop eating from sunrise to sunset each day. When the month is over, the Eid al-Fitr celebration follows.
During the activities, which were carefully planned out by the Pakistani and Indonesian student unions, the participants prayed piously on mats to celebrate the beginning the festival, and they enjoyed a delicious feast full of hometown flavors together with their schoolmates and family—making for a time full of blessings and joy. At NPUST, the Office of International Affairs shows great consideration for both the studies and lives of its foreign students, and hopes by organizing various cultural activities and festivals, the students can feel the warmth of home while studying in Taiwan, and NPUST’s local students can also get acquainted with the diverse cultures the school’s foreign students.
