The Loveliest Village

T

he Muslim Student Association at Auburn University held their seventh annual Fast-A-Thon on Wednesday, September 26 and raised over $1,000 for the East Alabama Food Bank.  Asking people to go hungry for a day was easier than they thought.

The Fast-A-Thon has two main goals each year.  The first is to educate students about the Islamic holiday of Ramadan.  The culture and traditions associated with Islam are very different than what most students are use to, especially in a small town like Auburn.

“For Muslims, Ramadan is one of the holiest months during the year,� said Mehmet Adanur, president of the Muslim Student Association at Auburn University.  “During the whole month Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, abstain from bad speech and thoughts and also abstain from sexual contact during the fasting hours.�

Another main goal of the religious organization is to remind people of others less fortunate who starve not because of choice or a holiday, but because they have nothing to eat.
 
“The second purpose is for people to get a glimpse of what starving people throughout the world are going through,� Adanur, a senior in electrical engineering, said.  “And to get the Auburn community together to raise money for people who are starving locally.  I think participants see this aspect of Fast-A-Thon very easily.�  

Ramadan is considered to be the most blessed month of the Islamic calendar.  Self-accountability, prayers, fasting and charity are continually focused on throughout the holiday.  Adanur said that it is common for Muslims to invite others to dinner and to feed the poor during this time.  They see it as a way to show gratitude. 

“Also, the culture and mood changes throughout all the Muslim countries because this is a time of appreciation and giving,� he said. 

Participating in the Fast-A-Thon is easy.  Students just have to sign up for the event and decide if they want to participate in the dinner after it.

“We then go ask local businesses if they will be willing to donate $5 for every non-Muslim student that fasts on the day of Fast-A-Thon,� Adanur said.  “We collect the donation money, have the Fast-A-Thon dinner at night and give the money to the East Alabama Food Bank.�

The student organization was thrilled because it met its goal of the amount of people it hoped to get involved.  Approximately 150 students signed up to participate in the fast and 120 came to the event.  Of this number, a majority are students who are not members of the Muslim Student Organization.

“Because the goal of Fast-A-Thon is to inform people about Ramadan, we aim for non-Muslim students to try and fast for that day,� Adanur said.  “And most of the students that participate are from other religions.�

Adanur, whose parents are originally from Turkey, stresses the importance of his organization’s mission statement: “dedicated to educating the general public about Islam by promoting awareness of issues related to Islam and participating actively in the Auburn community through organizing events and joint ventures with other groups and faiths.�

The Fast-A-Thon may be a Muslim tradition for college students, but it is a way for anyone to give back and be appreciative of what they have.

The Muslim Student Organization also hosts a banquet at the end of the event.  The students who participate in the fast from sunrise to sunset get to eat dinner for free.  The banquet usually has food dishes from around the world.  Adanur said there was no food left at the end of this year’s dinner.

“The success of this Fast-A-Thon was phenomenal,� he said.

Auburn’s Indian Student Association and Diversity and Tolerance Organization donated much time and effort to make the Fast-A-Thon’s dinner banquet a success.  The Multicultural Center gives the Muslim Student Organization the support it needs to carry out their event every year.

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