From dawn until dusk, faithful Muslims everywhere are fasting this week for Ramadan, able to relieve their hunger only after sundown. But some university students and recent graduates in Utah have found that there are local followers who aren't even able to do that.
The fasting tradition, which this year began nearly a week ago, is a celebration of the month in which the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
Weber State University student Sarah Ahmad said there are people in Utah "who don't have enough food to look forward to," including Muslims who have no choice but to continue their fast through the night and rarely know when they will eat again. The thought, she said, is hard to comprehend for people who eat three square meals a day and sometimes more.
"We're hoping to help as many people in our communities as we can" said Ahmad, who has organized a monthlong, multicampus food drive that continues through Sept. 28. She and two students at the University of Utah, one at Salt Lake Community College and another who attends Utah Valley University decided to put marked canned-food receptacles in various locations on campuses all over the Wasatch Front after working with the local food banks turned out to involve too much paperwork, Ahmad said.
The hope is to get as many canned goods and dry boxed products as possible, with a goal of at least 2,000 items, which will then be donated to homeless shelters and refugee families identified by the Asian Association of Utah. The U.'s Institute of Religion also will be tying quilts to go along with the edible donations.
"By encouraging and participating in community service, we hope to not only achieve our goal of providing the most basic of necessities to the vulnerable, but also demonstrate the emerging, positive influence of Muslims in American communities," Ahmad wrote on the organization's blog, muslimsunitedagainsthunger.blogspot.com. She said that the drive is not intended to benefit only those of the Muslim faith, but people throughout the community who need food and warm blankets.
Supporters of the cause, including the Muslim Student Association at the U., come from various backgrounds, religions and ethnicities. The variety emphasizes the need to help everyone, Ahmad said. It is a way for everyone to realize a common ground, "because we all need to eat," she said. To donate or find more information about the local food drive, visit the blog or find Muslims United Against Hunger on Facebook.
e-mail: wleonard@desnews.com