On Wednesday, April 5 at 7 p.m., N.C. State and UNC-Chapel Hill students gathered together at Lucy’s Restaurant off Franklin Street for a night of fun and inspiration. The UNC-CH Muslim Students Association and N.C. Hillel hosted “A Night Under the Moon and Stars.”
This was the second annual Artsfest hosted by UNC-CH. There was increased participation from NCSU students this year. The event featured all types of performances – from stand-up comedy to visual art. Students and parents of all faiths gathered together for the event to hear live performances by various students about their different cultures.
“This event is about bringing people of different backgrounds together. The more, the merrier,” said Bela Fishbeyn, a junior in philosophy and studio art and president of N.C. Hillel at UNC-CH.
Many messages were conveyed through the different performances. In one poem, for example, the adhan, the Muslim call to prayer, was embedded inside the poem. In another, Hebrew words were used to describe a Jewish girl’s lifestyle. Sahid Limon, an ECU alumnus and current student at N.C. State, sang and played guitar with his brother, Monjurul, from UNC-CH.
“It was my first time ever singing in front of people, and it was also my first time ever performing on stage. Everything did not go as I had planned, but overall, the crowd liked the performance,” Limon said. “Although our song doesn’t specifically relate to Islam or Judaism, it can be conveyed in any religion.”
The hosts of the program, Bela Fishbeyn of N.C. Hillel and Mona Masood of the UNC-CH Muslim Student Association, led the program, encouraging the crowd to participate.
“Last night, we had a better turnout than last year because more people knew what to expect since it was our second time doing it and we knew how to promote it. The performances and performers were amazing. They get better every year,” Fishbeyn said.
“This sort of event is vital for our campus because a lot of people misunderstand Jewish and Muslim relationships. News and events cause people to generally think that we don’t get along, and this sort of event shows that we do.”
In addition to poetry, songs and comedy, performances included rap and free style music with cultural instruments, Quranic recitation, visual art and Arabic calligraphy.
Organizers stressed the importance of bringing different groups together and creating awareness about different religions and cultures.
“It’s important for us to realize that Muslims and Jews can unite in peace and share similar, yet distinct stories and talents,” Limon said.
In regard to bringing people of different schools together, Limon said, “It’s important to bring everyone together because no one school is better than another.”
Ayesha Ali, a junior in elementary education, read a poem on behalf of another student, Salma Khan, at the event.
“It’s important to have these events on our campuses because it shows that even though there is unrest and war going on in the world, we can have peace here in North Carolina. It’s just step one towards world peace,” Ali said. “I felt proud to be part of such a great event.”
