The Ramadan Fast-A-Thon enters its third year at Ohio State this autumn.
The Fast-A-Thon is a national student program that aims to promote diversity and cultural awareness among students of different faiths and backgrounds by inviting them to participate in a day of fasting.
During Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. Local businesses will donate at least $1 for every non-Muslim student who fasts during Ramadan. A free international dinner will conclude the event.
“The point is to get non-Muslims to fast,” said Muniba Saleem, member of the Pakistani American Student Association and the Muslim Student’s Association.
She said there have been about 300 pledges so far and, in light of that, attendance is expected to surpass last year’s total of 500, which includes the 150 to 200 Muslim students who attended the program. Saleem said the event would benefit from having more business sponsors and student pledges.
Kashif Khan, OSU Multicultural Center coordinator of Asian American Student Services, said the Fast-A-Thon was initiated by Muslim students as a way to share the Ramadan experience with the campus community and to enlighten non-Muslims about Islam.
The theme of this year’s Fast-A-Thon is “Sharing the Gift of Pluralism: Traditional Iftaar in America.”
“The idea of pluralism is that many different religions can coexist, come together and share experiences,” Khan said. “In the United States, it’s one of the key factors that pluralism is accepted.”
Shakeer Abdullah, OSU Multicultural Center coordinator of New Diversity Initiatives, said that Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. The other pillars are declaration of the Islamic faith, daily prayers, almsgiving and pilgrimage.
Abdullah said fasting is not just about abstaining from food and drink.
“It’s also important to be in a reflective mindset all day to really get the benefits of fasting,” he said. “It’s about trying to realign yourself spiritually – a day of meditation – thinking about things in your life and things that you want to improve.”
Khan’s advice for students new to fasting is “don’t overthink the process”.
“Your body will react in the first few hours of not having any food or water in your system, but it will get used to it,” he said. “Don’t think about ‘I’m not eating. I’m not eating. I’m hungry’.”
All proceeds will go toward aiding South East Asian Earthquake victims through the non-profit organization Life for Relief and Development, which according to its Web site, strives to aid victims and refugees of natural or man-made disasters.
“This year, (the Fast-A-Thon) was fueled by the urgency of the South Asian Earthquakes,” said Sahra Shirdon, Vice President of the Somali Student Association and member of the Fast-A-Thon coordinating committee. “We felt like we were contributing to a much larger, urgent cause and that in putting on this event, we could raise some awareness.”
Saleem said that students can pledge over the weekend and still be enrolled for the fast on Monday.
The program starts at 4:30 p.m. in the Ohio Union Ballroom. Interested students can pledge online at msa.org.ohio-state.edu/fastathon.htm or get more information by e-mailing program coordinators at: [email protected].
