Would you be willing to go without food for a day, if it meant someone else might not have to? That’s the question being asked by UBC Okanagan’s Muslim students as they prepare a food bank fund-raiser calledFast for a Day on Sep. 26.
“The main focus of the event is to showcase why Muslims around the world fast and the reasons behind fasting,” says Zulfikar Akbar, Vice President of Events with the UBC Okanagan Muslim Students’ Association. “Fast for a Day gives us a chance to experience what millions of less-fortunate suffer on a daily basis – hunger and poverty.”
Students and faculty, and members of the public, are invited to fast for a day by abstaining from food or drink from sunrise until sunset on Sep. 26.
“We will invite all participants to join us at 6:30 p.m. that evening in the UBC Okanagan cafeteria for a dinner -- the break of fast -- and a short introduction to the event. All participants are encouraged to donate money and non-perishable food items, which will go to the local food bank,” says Akbar.
“Every privilege comes with a responsibility,” says Faisal Farooq, President of the UBC Okanagan Muslim Students' Association. “We live in a privileged society where most of us do not have to worry about very basic amenities like food, but unfortunately amongst us there are many who are not as privileged. Thus, it becomes a responsibility of all of us to stand up and help those who have to go through hunger.”
The Muslim Students’ Association at the University of Tennessee held the first Fast for a Day — also known as Fast-a-Thon -- in the year 2001. Since then, over 230 colleges and universities have organized this event during the month of Ramadan to create awareness about the issues of hunger, and also about the Islamic way of life.
“As students we must set a precedent for the community to follow,” says Imran Moloo, Vice President, Finance, of the UBC Okanagan Muslim Students’ Association. “We must work together to make a change. I would urge everyone to participate and donate generously to our local food bank, which has not been able to cope with demand recently. It’s the least we can do.”
Students will be taking pledges at tables set up around the UBC Okanagan campus from today (Monday, Sep. 15) through Wednesday, Sep. 24.
For more information about Fast for a Day, contact Faisal Farooq, President of the UBC Okanagan Muslim Students’ Association, at faisal.farooq@ubc.ca.
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