In the Islamic month of Ramadan, Muslims fast during daylight hours as an act of submission, solidarity, and remembrance. One of the main reasons for fasting is to call attention to those who go hungry every day, not as an exercise of religious expression, but as a fact of life.

In the past, the MSA has traditionally joined a cause that involves a foreign country that is historically cast aside by the media and usual aid organizations. However, the first community we should look at is our own. In a society where we can buy cars that parallel park themselves and running water is no longer considered a luxury, the amounts of poverty and homelessness are shocking.

At any given night in the United States, there are over 750,000 homeless either in shelters or on the streets; a quarter of the people in shelters are children. In the city of Atlanta alone, there are at least 12,000 people considered homeless, and every day they must scrounge and beg for the things they need to survive. Project Downtown seeks to provide these people with food and clothing and other necessary items while simultaneously building friendships and empowering them to help them create successful lives on their own. In order to help raise awareness and funds for the homeless in Atlanta, we hope to hold our own on-campus Fast-a-thon this Ramadan on October 11th from sunrise to sundown. InshAllah through your financial support we will be able to reach and hopefully surprise our goals and start making an impact on our community today.

Here's How It Works

• We collect pledges from area businesses that promise to donate at least a dollar for every student or faculty member who agrees to fast during the daylight hours of October 11th. Each business will sign a pledge sheet, agreeing to write a check for an amount depending on the number of students who agree to fast. All Participating businesses will receive publicity throughout the event on campus flyers, our website, and local media who cover the story. If we can get 20 businesses to pledge even $50 each, and 1000 people pledge to fast, that’s $1000!
• Through announcements, flyers, and media, we will ask students to go hungry for one day, so someone else won’t have to. Participants will sign pledge cards, receive instructions on how to fast, and on October 11th, abstain from food and drink during the daylight hours. At the end of the day, fasting students will be invited to break their fast together in a group dinner at 7pm, Cox Ballroom, Emory University.
• We will then count up the number of fasters to ensure that this is a sufficient amount to cover the full sponsorship of the pledging businesses. This means that if a business pledges $100 for 100 fasters, there must be at least 100 participants for the business to fulfill its initial pledge.

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Sign-Up

1. I pledge to willingly and joyfully participate in the Atlanta City-Wide Fast-a-Thon for Project Downtown.
2. I understand that I am pledging to abstain from all food and liquid during the daylight hours (6:15am to 7:14pm) of Thursday, October 11th. I will try to refrain from negative thoughts and speech.
3. I don’t have any medical conditions that would prohibit me from fasting, but in the unexpected and unlikely event that I should become ill or otherwise experience detrimental effects as a result of this fast, I will not hold the MSA, or its members, or Universities responsible.

*Name:

*Email:

*School:
Atlanta University Center Agnes Scott Emory Georgia Perimeter Georgia State Georgia Tech Kennesaw State Southern Poly UGA

Will you be joining us for dinner on the 11th?
Yes
No

What is the month of Ramadan?

• The holiest month in the Muslim calendar, it represents the month in which Muslims believe their holy book, the Qur’an was first revealed.
• Fasting is supposed to bring the believer to a state of gratefulness for all the blessings God has bestowed upon him or her.
• Fasting is obligatory for all Muslims in the daylight hours, sun up to sun down, except for those who are sick, traveling, mentally incompetent, elderly, women pregnant or breast-feeding, or women menstruating.
• All days missed in Ramadan, the name of this holy month, must be made up at a later time. This signifies how important this month is.
• The one who fasts does not only abstain from food and drink, but other bodily pleasures or vices such as sexual activity and negative thoughts/speech.