Fast-a-thon was an event put on by the Islam on Campus club to celebrate fasting and awareness of hunger throughout the world during the holy month of Ramadan. They asked students and staff to pledge to fast from sunset to sundown and aim to raise money for the St. Francis House.
The evening started off with introductions from the President followed by a reciting from the Qu'ran, the holy book of Islam. There were two guest speakers. They didn't preach for their religion, or were in any way imposing. Imam Malik touched on progress and stability on this world. Of the need to succeed and be successful, but not to cloud that goal with money and power.
I myself did not fast, however when my friend and I got to the event there was already humus, dates, water, and pita bread spread out amongst the crowd of about 600 people. My friend almost went in to eat! I had to tell her it wasn't quite sunset; that only ater the Maghrib Prayer (Sunset Prayer) at 7:40pm had taken place was everyone allowed to eat.
I noticed after the speeches had been conducted, the attendees that were Muslim went over a few feet away from the dinner tables and conducted their sun prayer. The 20 woman that prayed stood behind and separate from the 80 or so men that were also engaged in the ritual. All the ladies were either already wearing head scarfs, or put one on just for the prayer. The boldness of the prayer front and center in the middle of the O'Connell Center came as a bit of a shock to me. I have never seen such a Christian demonstration.
When fast was broken and everyone started to eat the hummus and pita on the table, the main course was finally served, spicy chicken, rice, and salad. In the background played soft classical Arabic music. The crowd that had gathered was very diverse consisting of Hispanics, whites, blacks, and Asians. I also saw a few Muslim families there with their children. As I got to talk to some people I found out, while many were Muslim, just as many were not, but had come out to support the cause to raise money for the St. Francis House. Some people (of course) had just come out for the free food.
In the United States society has deemed most of the Islamic followers radical and extremists, though from the demonstration I witnessed it was more of a devout and enthusiastic atmosphere.
As compared to many Christian followers I believe Muslims practice their religion throughout their every day lives, while some Christians tend to practice only while at church. To touch upon our discussion in class with regards to the change in the family unit, the Muslim family has changed considerably less as compared to Christians. In fact, as many Christian families begin to have fewer and fewer children, many Muslim families are still having children at a steady or increasing rate. Coming from both a Catholic and Muslim background I understand and respect the views and incites of both religions. In one article I found a woman is practicing both faiths. Check out the article here. I am thankful to be surrounded by a family where what religion one is isn't an issue. In the coming years, where religion begins to become a bigger issue, I hope it is dealt with open minds and open hearts.
For more information on the Islam on Campus organization visit their website at IslamOnCampus.com.
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