The middle of October for most students means the beginning of midterm season. But for the thousands of Muslim students at the University of Toronto, this week also marks the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. The lunar month of Ramadan is one in which Muslims must abstain from eating, drinking and smoking between dawn and sunset; it is a month of worship and contemplation where Muslims are encouraged to concentrate on their faith through prayers and charity. Since the Islamic calendar follows the lunar cycle, based on moon sightings, Ramadan will begin either this Thursday or Friday.
The Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) at the St. George campus has organized an impressive list of events and activities for the next month. The Association has planned daily dinners for fasting students, lectures, food drives and a fundraising campaign for orphans.
The MSA has set its goals high with two major charity initiatives. The Community Affairs subcommittee of the MSA is organizing a food drive with a goal to surpass the 1500 lbs of food collected and distributed to the Daily Bread Food Bank and Muslim Welfare Centre last year. They will have boxes set up for donations across all three campuses. The Students for World Justice subcommittee is hoping to raise funds to sponsor 60 orphans around the world for a year, trying to surpass the 41 orphans that the Association sponsored last year.
The Outreach subcommittee, which aims to educate non-Muslims about Islam and foster understanding between people of all faiths, is also hosting two events this month. The first is a lecture on October 21st is entitled, “The Value of Islamic Law in Canadian Courts” in Lash Miller, Rm. 161 from 7-9 pm. The lecture will focus on the controversy surrounding the implementation of Shariah arbitration in Canadian courts. They will also be hosting a ‘Fast-a-thon’ on November 5 where non-Muslims will be encouraged to fast for one day in order to gain a better understanding of what it means to be Muslim. There will be a booth in Sidney Smith during Ramadan for people interested in this initiative to sign-up.
The MSA is also determined to help out Muslim students who are fasting by providing free daily dinners in the Medical Science lobby and in the International Students Centre. These donated meals are aimed toward fostering a sense of community for Muslim students on campus, and in particular, international students. They will also be having daily taraweeh- night prayers-at the International Students’ Centre so that busy students can fit their religious obligations into their academic schedule.
