Fast-a-Thon

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Fast-A-Thon is an event held in the month of Ramadan on university campuses all across North America to create awareness about the issue of hunger, and also about the Islamic way of life and Muslims. Muslim student organizations, typically the Muslim Students' Association (MSA) get students of all faith to sign up to fast for a day according to Islamic traditions, and for each person that fasts, arrangements are made for a certain amount to be donated to charity on behalf of the person fasting. They usually are also invited to break their fasts with other Muslims at the end of the fasting day. [1]

Ramadan Muslim religious observances in the month of Ramadan

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (Sawm) to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief. This annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month lasts 29–30 days based on the visual sightings of the crescent moon, according to numerous biographical accounts compiled in the hadiths.

North America Continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere

North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere; it is also considered by some to be a northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, and to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea.

Hunger state in which a person, for a sustained period, is unable to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs

In politics, humanitarian aid, and social science, hunger is a condition in which a person, for a sustained period, is unable to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs. So in the field of hunger relief, the term hunger is used in a sense that goes beyond the common desire for food that all humans experience.

The University of Tennessee Muslim Student Association held the first Fast-a-Thon in 2001 after the September 11, 2001 attacks and founded a national event that included students at over 230 colleges and universities in 2006. The event also is held to help dispel misconceptions about Islam and Muslims. An event at the University of Michigan has been held annually for over a decade. [2] Other establishments supporting this event are the University of Florida, [3] University of Washington, [4] and the University of Waterloo. [5]

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Fast-a-Thon is now an annual event held during Ramadan. If the month of Ramadan falls outside of the universities academic calendar, the MSA may choose another time to hold Fast-A-Thon. The initiative is supported by the global humanitarian organization Action Against Hunger, [6] and has been used annually as part of fundraising efforts for various charities. [7]

Action Against Hunger global humanitarian organization

Action Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organization which originated in France and is committed to ending world hunger. The organization helps malnourished children and provides communities with access to safe water and sustainable solutions to hunger.

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References

  1. ↑ "Running an interfaith Fast-a-Thon" (PDF). MSA National. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  2. ↑ "Fast-A-Thon". Muslim Students' Association at the University of Michigan. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  3. ↑ "Fast-A-Thon: Free dinner". University of Florida. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  4. ↑ "Fast-A-Thon". University of Washington. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  5. ↑ "MasterFAST: Deconstructing Hunger 4th annual Fastathon". University of Waterloo. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  6. ↑ "Companies against Hunger: Google Fastathon". Action Against Hunger. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  7. ↑ Memon, Zain (4 December 2012). "NYU Fast-a-Thon: Bringing Relief to Drought-Stricken Africa". Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 September 2017.


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