Students participate in Fast-a-thon for charity

While many students will be out celebrating on a Friday night, one group of students will be fasting. The Muslim Student Association is looking for more people to sign up to join their event, Fast-a-thon. This year's theme is "Do a good deed, feed those in need." The Fast-a-thon, is during Ramadan, the holiday that celebrates the revealing of the Koran to the prophet Muhammad. The Fast-a-thon is not limited to just Muslims. Currently, there are around 40 people signed up. For every person who fasts, local businesses will donate money. On Sept. 19, everyone who signed up is supposed to fast from 5 a.m. until 7 p.m. That means no drinking, eating, smoking or chewing gum. After that, there is a dinner and a speaker, Dr. Bashar Shala, a cardiologist at St. Francis Hospital, to commemorate the fast and raise awareness about Ramadan. Right now, the organization is working on a location. The holiday is not just about the fast, said MSA vice president Ahmed Mahmood. "It's also a time of giving charity," said Mahmood, a junior psychology major. "The reason we fast is to relate to those who don't have much, while at the same time creating self-discipline." He said the event was like an outreach program to the city of Memphis here on campus. "During this process we have non-Muslims and Muslims realize that Ramadan isn't just about not eating, but about donating money and doing good deeds overall," said Faran Saeed, a member of MSA. The idea for the event came from a similar project at The University of Tennessee at Knoxville. "It's a National MSA project," said Mehreen Khan, MSA secretary. "It was started at UTK in 2001, and it has become a national project. Then, we started thinking about doing it here. It was actually started around the same time as Sept. 11th, when a lot of people were wondering about Muslims and their culture." Khan said she feels feel pretty strongly about the Fast-a-thon and that she hopes it brings people of all backgrounds together. "It's a great way for everyone to be aware that some people will be fasting a month along," she said. "It's also just to get the idea of charity along. Everyone likes to get together and eat." All money raised from this event will be given to Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association, created after the assassination of Martin Luther King. "It was started Sept. 15 in 1968," said MIFA spokesperson Elizabeth Garrett. "So, we are coming up on 40th anniversary. It was founded after the assassination of Dr. king as a way to bring haling to the community. It provided a way to bring people of all faith and races together for a common cause to overcome social injustices such as poverty." MIFA serves more than 60,000 individuals a year. Their fundraising goal every year is $3 million. Garrett said donations were steady but basic expenses are going up. The operating budget for MIFA is around $9 million. Garrett said any and all donations would be greatly appreciated. "I think it's wonderful, especially since it's younger people who want to give back to the community," Garrett said. For more information about the Fast-a-Thon, contact the Muslim Student Association at 432-0761.