Students fast for hunger awareness

The 2008 Fast-A-Thon, an event sponsored by the Muslim Students Association, is scheduled Thursday all across campus.

Students, Muslim and non-Muslim, are fasting between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., after which the MSA will hold a banquet.

The banquet, open to all students, will be held on the top floor of the University Student Commons. In years past, the group has had to turn away people during the banquet, because of overwhelming attendance.

Normally held during the month of Ramadan, Fast-A-Thon was postponed this year because the space required for the event was unavailable until mid-November.

“We aren’t able to book the rooms for the banquet in the Commons during September, and we were forced to wait until now to hold this event,” said Kairshma Qayum, organizer of the event.

For the event, students pledge to fast for the 12-hour duration, and for every pledge, participating local businesses donate $2 to the Central Virginia Food Bank.

In recent years, the number of pledges has ranged from 4,000 to 4,500.

Designed to promote hunger awareness and social justice, the fast holds special meaning to Muslims involved this year. That’s because changing the timing of the event, which normally runs during Ramadan, gives more meaning to the Ramadan fast for Muslim participants, said Zaynah Qutubuddin, former president of MSA.

Qutubuddin said Fast-A-Thon also allows non-Muslims to glimpse at what Muslim students do during their holy month.

“I do think there is a different message by having the event at a different time,” Qutubuddin said.

Qayum also said the timing of Fast-A-Thon will make Muslim students more aware of the message and meaning Islam places on Ramadan.

“It’s not supposed to be, ‘I fast on Ramadan, and then I’m done,’ ” Qayum said.

Qutubbin said the diversity of the students and the number of participants is impressive.

“From my experience, most students want to do it,” Qutubbin said. “It also brings out so many Muslim students that want to volunteer and participate.”

Even with the tie to traditional Islamic beliefs, Qayum believes the ideals of the fast are universal.

“Not only is it a physical fasting, it’s a spiritual one as well,” Qayum said. “It gives everyone another chance to improve these facets of themselves.”