Community invited to Cultural Thursday event on Ramadan

Contributed / Metro Newspaper Service

By Dispatch staff report

February 26, 2023 at 2:57 PM

BRAINERD — The community is invited to Central Lakes College’s Cultural Thursday event, focusing on the observance of Ramadan at noon on Thursday, March 2 in the Chalberg Theatre, Brainerd campus.

A livestream is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB17xt8TaCE .

Speaking will be John Emery, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Middle East for a decade as an interpreter and interrogator. Born and raised in Minnesota, Emery is Muslim and serves as the executive director of the Islamic Resource Group, a Minnesota-based educational nonprofit committed to fostering dialogue between world faiths and raising awareness about the beliefs and practices of the Muslim community.

For Minnesota’s growing Muslim community, Ramadan is one of the most sacred times of year and a cornerstone of the Islamic faith. One of the Five Pillars of Islam, Ramadan is observed globally and in many Minnesota communities through fasting and prayer. This year, Ramadan begins on the evening of March 22.

Cultural Thursday is CLC's monthly visiting speaker program, which invites people from around the world to help us better understand the diverse people, places and perspectives of our incredible planet. For more information on the Cultural Thursday series, please contact Jason Edens at Jason.edens@clcmn.edu .

By Dispatch staff report

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of "staff." Often, the "staff" byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

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Community invited to Cultural Thursday event on Ramadan

Speaking will be John Emery, a U.S. Army veteran and Muslim who served in the Middle East for a decade as an interpreter and interrogator.