It was 5:30 a.m. when Timothy Johnson got out of bed. He made sure to wake up before the sun rose to prepare for his daylong fast. His breakfast consisted of three nectarines, eight glasses of water, and some Wheat Thins crackers.
He would have to wait until sundown for his next meal.
“It helped that it was raining,” said Johnson, a third-year UF political science major. “Not drinking water all day was the worst.”
Islam on Campus hosted the 2010 Fast-a-Thon on Monday evening, where participants pledged money to benefit a local charity in the Gainesville area.
Several participants like Johnson fasted from sunrise until sundown without having any food or water to drink. The event chairperson said that one of the main purposes of Fast-a-Thon was to help people who are less fortunate in the Gainesville community.
“The purpose of Fast-a-Thon is to build bridges and close gaps between different religions,” said Zubair Zafar, chair of the event.
For every participant, Islam on Campus pledged to donate money to the Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry. The organization raised about $4,500.
“By fasting, we all see the blessing and luxury that we have,” said Noha Abdelghany, a member of the organization. “We can go out and buy any type of food and drink at any time of the day. Meanwhile, there are others that don’t have that luxury.”
Haroon Moghul, executive director of the Maydan Institute, said he was glad to see such a positive outcome in Gainesville after the recent negative relations with the Islamic faith.
"If you live in a place like New York, you get a certain image of other places in the country," said Moghul, a Muslim. "People are finally starting to accept their diversity."
According to Moghul, religion plays a big role in America. The values that bring people closer to their concept of the divine bring them closer together. One has to be disciplined in order to be a productive member of society, he said.
"Islam teaches us to be the same," said Moghul in his speech. "It's difficult to be open-minded when you don't have problems. Fasting allows you to be a more caring, open person."
