Non-Muslim students fast during Ramadan in US, Canada

By: Rajab Ali

WASHINGTON: Non-Muslim students from over 150 colleges and universities across the US and Canada fasted for a day during the ongoing Islamic holy month of Ramadan in an effort to raise awareness about Islamic rituals and customs.

According to the US information agency the nationwide event titled 'fast-a-thon', held on October 26, gave Muslim students the opportunity to teach their non-Muslim peers about the holy month Ramadan.

The annual event, organized by the Muslim students association, was also a chance for students from all communities to come together for a good cause.

For every non-Muslim who participates in the event, local businessmen donate money to 'soup kitchens' and other community organizations that help feed the hungry.

Zeenah Khader, a fast-a-thon co-chair at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, said the event reminds people about those who go hungry every day.

“It is a great time for inner reflection and a type of meditation,” Khader said.

The fast-a-thon is in its third year with more Muslim student associations joining each year. During the 2003 edition, 130 colleges and universities participated and donations to help the hungry in American and Canadian cities totaled more than USD 46,000. In 2004, the event spread to 154 campuses, the report said.

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