{"id":26,"date":"2007-10-05T13:11:47","date_gmt":"2007-10-05T13:11:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/ramadan\/2007\/10\/sharing-the-blessings-of-ramad.html"},"modified":"2007-10-05T13:11:47","modified_gmt":"2007-10-05T13:11:47","slug":"sharing-the-blessings-of-ramad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ramadan\/2007\/10\/sharing-the-blessings-of-ramad.html","title":{"rendered":"Sharing the Blessings of Ramadan with the Fast-a-thon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"fastathon.jpg\"I’ve often struggled with the question of how best to share my faith with those who are not Muslim.\u00a0 While I have spent many years being involved in interfaith work, there was something about it that seemed at arms-length or academic.\u00a0 I believe that educating people about Islam and Muslims requires a more nuanced approach than lectures or brochures.\u00a0 But I also feel that it is important to bring some tangible benefit to the community at large.
\nOne of my personal goals is that I want to help create an society where Americans feel that this country is better off having Muslims here than not.\u00a0 Right now, it’s hard to get over the impression that Muslim Americans are a net liability.\u00a0 But how do we get to that promised land?
\nAs with many innovative ideas coming out of the Muslim American community, one great answer has come from young Muslims.\u00a0 In 2002, Muslim students at the University of Tennesee, Knoxville came up with a unique way to share the meaning of Ramadan with their non-Muslim peers and raise money for local homeless charities.\u00a0 The idea was to have people sign up to fast for a day<\/a>, and for local businesses to sponsor them at $1 for each person fasting.<\/p>\n


\nThe result is known as the fast-a-thon<\/a>, and it has since grown to involve more than 300 campuses across North America, with additional campuses in Europe spreading the idea there.\u00a0 This year, it was held on Wednesday, October 3, and hundreds participated on each campus (there were 3,000 participants at UT Austin alone).
\nEven if you assume an average of 250 participants per campus, that means 75,000 people fasted on Wednesday, and with $1 buying food for 5 people, 375,000 were fed through the efforts of Muslims and others coming together to fast for the homeless here in America.\u00a0 It has even been adopted by some Christians<\/a> as a reminder of the sacrifices made by Jesus, someone Muslims also revere.
\nWhat could have been an insular practice–fasting for Ramadan–has now become something enriching<\/a> for all–an indigenous Muslim contribution to America\u00a0that adapts American culture\u00a0with an Islamic sensibility.
\nI hope that this kind of creative thinking grows beyond the campus and spreads to the community at large, so that we can achieve my somewhat ambitious goal within my lifetime.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve often struggled with the question of how best to share my faith with those who are not Muslim.\u00a0 While I have spent many years being involved in interfaith work, there was something about it that seemed at arms-length or academic.\u00a0 I believe that educating people about Islam and Muslims requires a more nuanced approach…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-traditions"],"yoast_head":"\nSharing the Blessings of Ramadan with the Fast-a-thon - Hungry for Ramadan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ramadan\/2007\/10\/sharing-the-blessings-of-ramad.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sharing the Blessings of Ramadan with the Fast-a-thon - Hungry for Ramadan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I’ve often struggled with the question of how best to share my faith with those who are not Muslim.\u00a0 While I have spent many years being involved in interfaith work, there was something about it that seemed at arms-length or academic.\u00a0 I believe that educating people about Islam and Muslims requires a more nuanced approach…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ramadan\/2007\/10\/sharing-the-blessings-of-ramad.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hungry for Ramadan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2007-10-05T13:11:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/ramadan\/files\/import\/fastathon.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Shahed Amanullah\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sharing the Blessings of Ramadan with the Fast-a-thon - 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Named one of ten \"Muslim visionaries\" by Islamica Magazine, Shahed's work and writings have been featured in magazines (Newsweek), newspapers (New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune), radio shows (BBC News, National Public Radio, and major websites (BeliefNet.com). Television appearances include \"Nightline with Ted Koppel\", CNN Headline News, the \"Today Show\", and \"Hannity & Colmes\". Shahed is the founder of Halalfire Media, a network of Islamic-themed websites with nearly 6 million visitors annually. Along with altmuslim.com, signature properties include zabihah.com, salatomatic.com, halalapalooza.com, and unitedmuslims.org. He has also served as a board member for the United Muslims of America, the Muslim Public Service Network, and the Muslim Youth Camp of California. 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