Muslim students end Ramadan fast with date, glass of water

As the sun went down in Bloomington on Tuesday night, about 200 people gathered in the Forest Greenleaf dining room to celebrate the end of the month of Ramadan. Some of them were Muslim – a majority of them were not – but they all participated in Fast-A-Thon and spent the day without food to raise money for the hungry people in Bloomington.

Fast-A-Thon is the Muslim Student Union’s annual event that invites non-Muslims to make a pledge to fast for one day and raise money for the Community Kitchen of Monroe County. During the entire month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world abstain from food and drink during daylight hours.

“We might be fasting today by choice, knowing that there is food for us to eat afterwards, but there are so many people around the world that are hungry – not by choice – but because they simply cannot find food,” said Rodwan Saleh, affiliates coordinator for the Islamic Society of North America.

Saleh spoke at the dinner, encouraging participants to remember the less fortunate people of the world.

For every person who pledged to participate in the fasting, the community kitchen received donations of food or money from organizations around the state, and in the past, the event has raised up to $1,500.

Junior Valkyrie Savage participated in Fast-A-Thon to support a Muslim friend of hers and said she enjoyed the event.

“It was a little bit annoying being hungry, but it wasn’t bad,” she said. “I think it’s great that the community can come together like this.”

The participants broke their fast on Tuesday night in the same manner Muslims have been practicing since the beginning of the month, by eating a date and drinking a glass of water.

But soon enough, everyone was on their feet and heading toward the numerous trays of food local restaurants had donated for the Fast-A-Thon participants.

For some, the day of fasting was difficult to get through. Freshman Becca Blake said she had trouble focusing on her schoolwork.

“It was really hard,” she said. “I got really tired and distracted.”

Junior Rashad Usmani is Muslim and has been fasting all month. He said school made fasting a daunting task.

“It’s really hard to stay focused on school during the day,” he said. “It’s hard to keep up with your work.”

MSU Vice President Aasiya Mirza said the number of people who attended the dinner exceeded her expectations.

“There’s a lot more people that we expected, which is really exciting,” she said.

Mirza said she was going to spend the rest of the evening with her Muslim girlfriends where they would dance and paint their hands with henna tattoos in honor of Eid ul-Fitr, the three-day celebration of the end of Ramadan.

As Ramadan ends, so does fasting. But organizers hope Fast-A-Thon will continue to remind people of their observances.

“We wanted everyone to get a taste of hunger,” Saleh said. “When people are agonizing with hunger and thirst, they get to remember those who don’t have much.”