{"id":196419,"date":"2026-02-27T10:45:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T09:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=196419"},"modified":"2026-02-27T16:46:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T15:46:42","slug":"dutch-turkish-students-break-fast-together-in-rotterdam-with-mixed-grill-and-viral-fruit-cakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/02\/27\/dutch-turkish-students-break-fast-together-in-rotterdam-with-mixed-grill-and-viral-fruit-cakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Dutch-Turkish students break fast together in Rotterdam with mixed grill and viral fruit cakes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whether to break their fast or to seek a sense of community, around two hundred students from Turkish student associations in the Netherlands and Belgium gathered for a Grand Iftar in restaurant Dakpark in Rotterdam on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Students are awaiting the beautiful sunset so they can break fasting.<\/p>

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Music plays softly in the background as the large venue, decorated with pink flowers, fills quickly. Some students warmly greet each other with hugs and stop for photos. Others arrive quietly and take their seats at the long tables in the warm light of the setting sun. Catering staff pass through with plates of food in a rush, just before the sun completely sets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Board members from five Turkish student associations around the Netherlands and Belgium give short speeches, expressing gratitude for attendees and emphasing the significance of building connections. As the sun sets, the room listens to the imam\u2019s Quran recitation before the iftar starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\t

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Iftar is the meal that breaks fast at sunset during the Ramadan, the holy month in Islam. It is shared with family and friends and often marks a social moment at the end of the day. Mozaik Student Association is a Turkish student association of over 450 students. It is the oldest student organisation in the Netherlands that is founded by Dutch students of Turkish roots.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n

According to event manager Azra K\u00fct\u00fck, the Grand Iftar was organised to give Turkish students a shared place to experience Ramadan together. \u201cIt helps you feel at home and come together with people who share a similar Turkish cultural background and values of hospitality and mutual support\u201d, said Azra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reconnecting<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Azra K\u00fct\u00fck (left) and Zeynep K\u0131l\u0131\u00e7.<\/p>

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The idea for the event did not start as a Ramadan initiative, the vice chairman, Musa Aykut, explained. At the beginning of the year, Mozaik aimed to reconnect with Turkish student associations scattered around the Netherlands and Belgium and explored ways to collaborate. The Grand Iftar was co-organised with Anatolia Student Association as part of this effort. \u201cWe met with other boards, and we decided to organise a Ramadan iftar together\u201d, he noted. \u201cIt felt like a natural choice to connect with people while sharing food.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mozaik president Zeynep K\u0131l\u0131\u00e7 said the goal was to strengthen ties between associations with a shared background. \u201cWe want to see each other as sister associations. No competition, more connection\u201d, she explained. They aim to support one another rather than operate separately. \u201cThere simply had not been much structural contact between the Dutch-Turkish student associations in different cities\u201d, she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event was meant to give students the opportunity to meet and become aware of student associations beyond their own city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rotterdam as a central hub<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rotterdam was chosen as the location for practical reasons. Organisers looked at several locations but wanted a \u2018middle\u2019 point that would be manageable for everyone. \u201cIn the end, we came to the conclusion that Rotterdam would be the best fit\u201d, said Zeynep. The city made the most sense with associations travelling from Amsterdam, Zwolle, Leiden, and Leuven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The choice of Dakpark restaurant was also largely practical. Musa wanted the evening to stay affordable, while still offering a well-organised event. \u201cThe owners of Dakpark restaurant are Turkish and they helped us to have a Turkish menu, including lentil soup, mixed grill, pilaf, baklava, and \u2018viral\u2019 fruit cakes\u201d, he said. \u201cThey are well known within the student association network.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018It\u2019s not only about fasting\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Mustafa Avci came from Almelo out of curiosity.<\/p>

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Mustafa Avci, an IT student from Almelo, attended mostly out of curiosity. \u201cI haven\u2019t been to an event as big as this one before,\u201d he said. \u201cIt isn\u2019t only for fasting, but also about meeting others.\u201d He described the atmosphere as different from iftar at home. \u201cAt home it\u2019s just a normal dinner. Here, it\u2019s the new people that make it special\u201d, Mustafa said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Ahmed, a Philosophy student in Rotterdam, the evening made fasting feel easier. \u201cIf you\u2019re busy and have something to look forward to, the day goes faster\u201d, he said. The sense of familiarity and coziness made the evening stand out to him. \u201cIt was fun to see many familiar faces\u201d, Ahmed said. \u201cSeeing people greet each other and enjoy the evening together fits very well with the idea of Ramadan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the Netherlands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not all attendees were from the Netherlands. Nazli Polat, a law student at KU Leuven travelled to Rotterdam to maintain the connection with SV Mozaik, a friendship that began with a message on Instagram, and to meet new people. Her visit will be reciprocated, as SV Mozaik plans to visit Leuven as well. \u201cIn Leuven, there aren\u2019t many Turkish students\u201d, she said. \u201cComing here and seeing so many people with the same background makes you feel connected to your culture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Irem Kose, another student from KU Leuven joined the evening to support friends, even though she was not fasting herself. She described the event as \u2018inspiring\u2019. \u201cSharing a piece of bread with people you don\u2019t know feels just like family\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t

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Een lijst van afbeeldingen<\/h2>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t
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