A photo from last year's "Sights and Sounds of the Islamic World" event at CU.

Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, has ended -- and now it's time to celebrate.

Last week's Muslim holiday Eid ul-Fitr signified the end of the 30-day fast, and the beginning of a three-day celebration.

Friday, the University of Colorado's Muslim Student Association extends the celebration with "Sights and Sounds of the Islamic World" at 6:30 p.m. in the Glenn Miller Ballroom.

Aous Mansouri, the student group's advertising officer and liaison, is excited for others to learn about a different culture.

"It's a fun time," says Mansouri, a doctorate student in linguistics. "We encourage people to ask questions, to come and learn about our traditions, our holidays, how we live and where we live.

"We'd love to answer questions and inform you about where we come from," Mansouri adds. "A lot of people on campus and off campus don't know much about our culture, so we're more than eager to fill in the blanks, to inform people, give them a personal first-hand experience into our culture."

Mansouri says the event will feature educational booths, food samples from around the world, henna artists, poetry readings and even calligraphers who will ink names in Arabic.

Morroccan-born Rachid Halihal will be playing live music at the event. His music styles range from Andalus Moroccan and Egyptian classical to Middle Eastern and North African.

Chicago-born comedian Azhar Usman -- an Indian-born Muslim also referred to as the "Ayatollah of Comedy" and "Bin Laughin" -- will provide comedy. Usman stars in the upcoming movie "Allah Made Me Funny."

Mansouri says the student-run fashion show is usually a favorite among the audience.

There will be at least one female and one male in the show representing each country and culture, Mansouri says.

"Our members are pretty diverse; they're from different parts of the world," Mansouri says. "At the end of the fashion show, people come out with their own flags -- everyone has their own flair."

CU international affairs and economics junior Ali Gooyabadi helped organize the event last year.

Gooyabadi says his favorite part of the night is the representation of various countries at different tables. He says different members will answer questions regarding their diverse cultures.

"I think that is the most interactive and interesting part of the night," Gooyabadi says.

Gooyabadi says since Islam has been prominent in the media in recent years, he thinks this event will give outsiders a distinct perspective of the culture.

"Since the Islamic world is going to be on the agenda of discussion of the presidential debates, it's nice to know the perspective of the natives from those countries themselves," Gooyabadi says.