Charity in Ramadan: Giving up food, giving back to society

[Dubious]

Last updated: Saturday, June 27, 2015 12:57 AM



Peter Harrison & Leila Al Wan

GIVING has always brought out the best in people. Throughout the decades, people have sought different opportunities to give back to human kind.

There is little doubt that the amount of charities have increased, placing a greater need for the generosity of the general public.

And with the widespread use of smartphones, there has been an ease to the process of giving, as people use their devices to research, shop, but more importantly donate.

According to a report in Forbes in 2013, the event of such online services as PayPal had led to an increase in the amount of charitable donations being given.

Charity work

The holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims worldwide fast during daylight hours and abstain from other pleasures, is also the month where Muslims contribute to charity work, and donations for the less fortunate.

Nasif Kayed, managing director of the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Cultural Understanding said: “Charity is never obligatory; it is always additional. There’s no twisting your arm to do good.” But Nasir said there was a noticeable increase in charitable work during the holy month.

“We wish the whole year was this way. That’s one of the main purposes of Ramadan, to entice people to do good and to continue throughout the year.”

All Muslims, who can afford it, are required to contribute a proportion of their wealth in the shape of Zakat — one of the five pillars of Islam.

Nasir explained: “There are two types of Zakat. At the end of Ramadan there is Zakat Al-Fitr. The other type of Zakat is the two-and-a-half percent of your income. You don’t have to necessarily do that in Ramadan. “Charity is never obligatory; it is always additional. There’s no twisting your arm to do good.”

Up to the individual

He said Muslims believed it was preferred and encouraged for them to be charitable, but that ultimately it was up to the individual whether they did.

Nasir added that Zakat Al-Fitr also required every Muslim to feed another on the morning of Eid.

He explained: “As long as you have food, shelter, and clothes that day than you must provide for someone else who doesn’t have these things. This way everyone eats the morning of Eid. Nobody goes hungry.” So what types of causes do people generally contribute to? Nasir explained there was a range.

He said: “Number one is feeding people, secondly clothing people, and finally housing them — no one should be homeless — especially in places like Syria, Iraq, and Nepal. You have to go after these people.” As Nasir explained people engage in charitable work during the holy month of Ramadan, such as cooking for people that are less fortunate.

Many mosques and community centers offer after — the meal that breaks the fast every day. And many international and national charity organizations take advantage of this month to provide for their various causes.

In the UAE there is a particular drive by the community to help those less well off, including laborers – each year hundreds donate food, bedding, toiletries and clothes which are then handed out to workers as care packages.

Saher Sheikh, from Adopt-A-Camp foundation, the international organization that works on improving the living conditions of labor camps, said many people participated in the different programs they offered, such as workshops in English and hygiene, as well as scholarship programs. “Whenever Ramadan rolls around, we see a huge spike in the corporate social program.

A lot of companies get in touch, they tend to push funds during Ramdan,” Saher stated. “During our work, I get to meet the nicest people,” she added.

Collection drives

Regulars in Dubai’s shopping malls will be all too familiar with the collection boxes where people are able to drop off items they want to donate – ranging from clothes – to books, and technical goods.

The boxes are provided by Dubai Cares, which carry out the collections annually during Ramadan. Dubai Cares works to improve children’s access to quality primary education in developing countries.

Launched by Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2007, the charity is working towards the UAE’s commitment to achieving the UN goals of guaranteed universal primary education and gender equality by 2015.

Last year Dubai Cares held the ‘What If’ Campaign, where the difficulties children face in developing countries and the impact that lack of education holds for their future were highlighted.

People were encouraged to donate 50 dirhams to buy a colorful brick, which was then used to help build a mock classroom.

A Dubai Cares spokeswoman said: “Everyone participates in Ramadan, every resident tries to give. This is the month of giving, nothing beats that.” — Al Arabiya News

Charity in Ramadan: Giving up food, giving back to society | Front Page | Saudi Gazette

Interesting however, My question is why only during Ramadan does this spirit wake up?

However, just an observation, I cant seem to google any mainstream media covering the GOOD some MUSLIMS are capable of doing...

 

[Dubious]

Charity to hand out free food to homeless in Walsall during Ramadan
By Walsall Advertiser | Posted: June 14, 2015

Javid Salloo and Nadeem Ashraf from the Walsall branch of As Suffa with food donations that will be given to the homeless.


GENEROUS volunteers will hand out free hot meals to homeless people in Walsall – while they spend a month fasting.

The Walsall branch of As Suffa – a homeless outreach charity – will be providing around 40 meals per day for 30 days in a row.

But the volunteers who will be generously dishing out the food will be observing Ramadan – a month-long fasting that is undertaken by Muslims during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.

Nadeem Ashraf, project lead for As Suffa in Walsall, said: "It will be tough but the month of Ramadan is about understanding what it's like to go without.

"It is also about giving something back and we feel this is our chance to give something back to the rough sleepers and people in need in Walsall."

As Suffa – Arabic for 'shelter' – was first launched in Birmingham by Altaf Kazi and Zakir Walimia.

It has extended across the country and launched in Walsall around 12 months ago. The group holds two events each week – the first on Mondays in Midland Road Church and another, on Thursday evenings at The UMO offices, in Mount Street – where rough sleepers or people in need are provided with free hot meals.

More than 3,000 hot meals – donated by local restaurants – have been dished out since its launch.

The 30-day feed will start from next Thursday (June 18) and run until Friday, July 17.

It will be held at the Midland Road Church on Mondays from 7pm to 8pm and at The UMO offices, on Tuesdays to Sundays, from 7.15pm to 8pm.

Meals will vary each night and As Suffa is calling for support from local restaurants to donate meals and residents to help fund-raise. To find out more, call 07767 354253.



Read more: Charity to hand out free food to homeless in Walsall during Ramadan | Walsall Advertiser

Chicago Muslim Services Color Ramadan

OnIslam Staff
Saturday, 20 June 2015 00:00

CHICAGO – Sharing the spirits of the holy month of Ramadan, a group of Chicago Muslim organizations have encouraged Muslims to give back to their communities, emphasizing on Islamic tenets of goodwill, giving, and charity.

"As part of a tradition of service during Ramadan, the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) is encouraging Muslims to dedicate the holy month to giving back to their communities," the COIGC said in a statement sent to OnIslam.net.

"Ramadan is a time when goodwill, giving, and charity are emphasized in the Islamic faith.

"In the spirit of this month of giving, CIOGC member organizations including mosques, schools, and service organizations across greater Chicagoland are hosting several programs during Ramadan as a means of giving back to the community."

Welcoming the holy month, Muslim organizations are planning several events to help their community.

The programs started on Friday, June 19 for a week-long Youth Food Drive Competition.

The event includes a gathering for youth from across Chicago to collect food items to donate to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

As of Saturday, June 20, mosque Foundation in Bridgeview and Masjid Al-Taqwa will be participating in the Food Depository's 30th Annual Hunger Walk to raise funds for feeding the hungry in Chicago.

Another event will be held on Sunday, June 21, as the Muslim Women’s Alliance (MWA) will serve Chicago's west side community by distributing lunches and cleaning up specific neighborhoods.

The MWA will also hold events dedicated to serving the homeless on June 27 and June 28. These programs are part of several MWA "Ramadan Rush for Rewards" events throughout Ramadan.

Through June 25, the Islamic Center of Wheaton (ICW) will launch a Ramadan Food Basket Project and is collecting a number of food items in hopes of feeding at least 40 families.

The Chicago branch of the Islamic Circle of North America will be hosting a Ramadan Kitchen Kit Drive for refugees on Saturday, June 27, in Glendale Heights.

The Muslim Community Center (MCC) will host an interfaith gathering on Tuesday, June 30, focusing on “the rights of those in need” at the Muslim Education Center (MEC) in Morton Grove.

CIOGC will be hosting an interfaith Catholic-Muslim iftar (meal after sunset) with the Archdiocese of Chicago, Blase J. Cupich at the Prayer Center of Orland Park.

Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, started this year on Thursday, June 18.

In Ramadan, adult Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.

The sick and those traveling are exempt from fasting especially if it poses health risks.

Muslims dedicate their time during the holy month to be closer to Allah through prayers, self-restraint and good deeds.

It is customary for Muslims to spend part of the days during Ramadan studying the Noble Qur'an.

Many men perform i`tikaf (spiritual retreat), spending the last 10 days of the month exclusively in the mosque.

Chicago Muslim Services Color Ramadan - Americas - News - OnIslam.net

However, just an observation, I cant seem to google any mainstream media covering the GOOD some MUSLIMS are capable of doing...

Muslims mark Ramadan with donations to DuPage homeless

ICNA Relief Chicago is donating personal hygiene products to homeless women to mark the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan.


Courtesy of ICNA Relief Chicago



To mark the Islamic month of Ramadan, a Glendale Heights-based service group is giving back to the community with the donation of $3,000 worth of personal care products to DuPage PADS.

ICNA Relief Chicago is the local chapter of ICNA Relief, a national Muslim service organization started by the Islamic Circle of North America. It provides help domestically to people in need through food pantries, transitional housing, family services and counseling and other services.

"We believe our neighbors deserve most of our attention and we have to build community here," said ICNA Relief Chicago Executive Director Saima Azfar.

While the organization regularly serves others, its leaders decided to host a drive for personal hygiene products for homeless women specifically in preparation for Ramadan, which began with the sighting of the new moon Wednesday night.

Azfar said the month of fasting from dawn to dusk is "a very spiritual" time for Muslims to grow closer to God and do charitable acts for the less fortunate.

"A very important thing this month is reaching out to the needy and deserving," she said. "Not eating and drinking for 17 hours, you feel the hunger and feel the pain of those who don't have food, don't have shelter."

The collection of body wash, deodorant, toothpaste, combs and other items ran through the month of May. Azfar said the outpouring of support demonstrated how "our community has so much good in it."

ICNA Chicago representatives will drop off the donations at DuPage PADSon Tuesday. Azfar said she hopes the items help protect the women's "decency and dignity."

"These ladies are homeless. They're the most vulnerable. Nobody thinks about them," she said.

In addition, ICNA Relief is hosting a kitchen kit drive for refugees through June 27. Each kit must contain specific items, including a dinner set for eight, cutlery, cooking pots, knives, a microwave and other kitchen utensils, along with sheets, pillows and blankets.

Donations and Wal-Mart gift cards are still being accepted for the kits. Anyone with questions should email chicago@icnarelief.org or call (630) 489-8390.

Muslims mark Ramadan with donations to DuPage homeless - DailyHerald.com

Published: Feb. 6, 2015
STUDENTS PRACTICE FAITH BY FEEDING LANSING'S HOMELESS

Members of the MSU Muslim Students' Association hand out lunches to members of the Lansing homeless community.
“Rothy” is a broad-shouldered, middle-aged man whose soft voice belies his striking stature. Years ago, he was a self-reliant roofer and jack-of-all-trades, he said. But a stroke several years ago put an end to that. He's been struggling to get back on his feet ever since.

Homeless and hungry, Rothy joined a handful of people in similar straits who took comfort on a cold afternoon in a warm, welcoming meeting space in downtown Lansing's center for Volunteers of America Michigan.

Later that afternoon, a half-dozen Michigan State University students slipped in, carrying big blue Rubbermaid bins. Members of the Muslim Students Association, the majority were young women in long skirts, winter coats and colorful headscarves, or hijabs. The men wore slacks and dress shirts.

Quickly and quietly, the students worked the room, handing out 50 sack lunches. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, string cheese, fresh fruit, cookies and bottled water disappeared within minutes.

The MSA has been performing this kindness twice a month for about eight years now. It's an outgrowth of Project Downtown, a 2006 initiative launched to feed America's homeless by the group's national parent organization.

Project Downtown dovetails with tenets of Islamic teachings. Charity is one of the religion's five main practices.

"The reason we do this is to give back to our community," said Amal Mohamed, a sophomore psychology major and MSA's volunteer coordinator. "Our religion is very big on helping others. We want people to know we ought to be grateful for what we have and to understand that some people have been dealt a bad hand. Project Downtown gives us a sense of purpose and direction; it's way to help others as a way to stay well grounded."

Every other week following Jumu'ah, or Friday prayer, the MSA members set up an assembly line in the gymnasium of the Islamic Center of East Lansing and make an average of 50 to 60 brown-bag lunches.

"It's a good thing to do together, being with your friends and helping to make sandwiches," said Aquila Hussain, a junior microbiology major and the MSA's vice president. " There's a feeling of community and every time you finish, you're surprised at how quick it was.

It takes about 20 minutes and you're about to feed 50 people."

Hussain hopes the group's good deeds demonstrate the true meaning of Islam at a time when violent extremists are sullying the religion's honor and integrity. "Islam means peace and that should be in everything we do."

Darin Estep, the VOA center's director of community engagement, said the MSA and other volunteers are vital to its operation. Several student groups volunteer for kitchen duty at the VOA. However, the Muslim students are the only group distributing additional meals there on a regular basis.

"They're very grateful people,” said Mohamed. “They let us know that they don't get a lot of students like us, coming out, feeding them, making small talk and establishing long-lasting relationships with them. And they're very grateful for what we do. You start to know people, their names and their stories. And they're just like us. It's just that their lives have been turned upside down and that can happen to us. It keeps us humble."

While perhaps unseen by the average resident, the Lansing and East Lansing homeless population over the course of 2012 (the latest year for which data are available) was 4,651, including 1,337 children, according to the Greater Lansing Homeless Resolution Network, which encompasses 25 social service organizations.

Meanwhile, the VOA reported that in 2013, it served 123,509 meals and provided 23,415 nights of emergency shelter to those in need.

"The meals provided by the Muslim Students' Association are a welcome supplement," said Estep. "People without resources will take calories anywhere they can get them."

In order to help fund the work, the MSA helps to host a Diversity Dinner every spring. Half of the admission proceeds are earmarked for Project Downtown. The other half goes to the Greater Lansing Food Bank.

For those nourished by their efforts, the MSA's outreach has certainly made a difference.

"I think it's beautiful; it's very important," said Rothy. "I find it very positive and I think it's good for (the students) to see what it means to be homeless."

From a nearby wheelchair, Larry, a homeless former Marine who saw action in Vietnam, nibbled on his sandwich. A few crumbs lodged in his long white beard. Green and white hospital-issue stockings flashed from his once-white sneakers.

Being able to get a bite to eat with other regulars who come in from the cold brightens his otherwise solitary life. "It's real important," he said. "I'm all alone. I don't have anyone to cook for except me. So I try to get at least one or two meals when I can."

Students practice faith by feeding Lansing's homeless | MSUToday | Michigan State University

 

[Dubious]

Muslim charities look to give back locally
Toronto’s Muslim Welfare Centre has led the trend, but other Islamic charities are now following suit, after years of focusing on international aid.

From left, coordinator Tahmina Begum and administrator Sherri Sieh of the Highcastle school snack program for elementary students accept a ceremonial cheque from the Muslim Welfare Centre's executive director, Shahid Khan, and manager of special projects, Firaaz Azeez.


By: Noor Javed News reporter, Published on Mon Jan 05 2015

By the time breakfast was served, Firaaz Azeez was convinced.

Azeez, a manager at the Muslim Welfare Centre, a local charity based in Scarborough, was on a tour of city schools to see the student nutrition program, run by the Toronto Foundation for Student Success, at work.

“I was amazed by what I saw,” said Azeez. He was tasked with deciding if his charity should increase funding to the local breakfast programs. “Beyond the food that is nourishing all these kids, there are student volunteers who prepare and cook the meals,” he said.

The student nutrition program has been operating in schools across the Toronto District School Board since 1999. By next year, the program, run by the charitable arm of the TDSB, will feed kids breakfast, snack or lunch in almost a thousand schools across the city. This year, the Muslim Welfare Centre will fund the programs in 14 schools in the city’s least affluent neighbourhoods, including Malvern, Thorncliffe Park and Regent Park. Their donation of $30,000 will feed more than 4,500 students, according to Catherine Parsonage, executive director of the TFSS.

“It’s the difference between kids having fresh fruit or milk,” said Parsonage. “The money allows the schools to buy the food they are short on,” she said.

Traditionally, Muslims, who consider charity a fundamental part of their faith, have looked overseas to support charitable initiatives — often in their country of origin. But the Muslim Welfare Centre’s involvement in local programs is forcing attitudes within the community to change. The charity is the first Muslim organization to partner with the student nutrition program, according to Parsonage. And as more donors look to give back locally, Muslim Welfare’s initiatives are encouraging other charities to follow suit.

Quite simply, it comes down to demographics, says Ziyaad Mia, a Toronto-based lawyer who spearheaded Give 30, an initiative focused on raising donations for food banks during the Islamic month of Ramadan.

“Toronto has 10 per cent Muslims, and in the hard-hit areas of the city, a lot of the people are Muslims,” said Mia, whose campaign has raised nearly $250,000 in three years, and funds foods banks all across the country.

Thorncliffe Park and Regent Park, for example, have significant numbers of residents from the predominantly Muslim countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh, according to data from the 2011 Census. Immigration, combined with precarious employment and the high cost of housing, have left many newcomers struggling to afford the basics for their families, such as food, says Mia.

“There is a yearning among young Muslims looking to donate to charities that are local, that are Canadian and organic. The Muslim Welfare Centre has been a leader in that regard,” said Mia.

The Muslim Welfare Centre was founded in 1993 by Muhammad “Major” Abbas Ali, and his wife, Sarwar Jahan Begum. The couple started with a small halal food bank in Scarborough that was open to anyone in need. A few years later, the couple started a 45-bed family shelter in Whitby for women and children. It remains the only family shelter in Durham Region.

“Major Abbas used to say to me, if we take people’s money here in Canada, we need to use it in Canada,” said Azeez. “More and more, I hear our supporters tell us they support us because we are visible in the local community,” he said. The group recently launched a successful Sunday lunch program in Regent Park that feeds hundreds of local residents. It runs a halal Meals on Wheels program, and hands out hundreds of lunches to the city’s homeless every weekend.

Inspired, other Canadian Islamic charities such as Islamic Relief Canada are also making domestic projects a priority. In 2014, Islamic Relief Canada gave significant financial contribution to the Daily Bread Food Bank and the Flemingdon Food Bank; to the Sick Kids Foundation for training of Palestinian doctors; and Habitat for Humanity, to build affordable housing for underprivileged families.

For 2015, the charity has “budgeted a significant amount of funds to assist domestically, including in the sectors of food security, refugee services, health, education and social services,” said Ahtsham Yousaf, a spokesman for Islamic Relief.

Yousaf says that change of focus comes from a “realization of a civic responsibility to assist local communities. Oftentimes, with so much suffering around the world, we forget that there is a great deal of poverty in communities across Canada,” he said.

Parsonage is hopeful other Muslim organizations and faith-based groups will take inspiration from the Muslim Welfare Centre.

The breakfast program feeds 150,000 every day, said Parsonage. It takes about $9 million a year to run the Toronto Foundation for Student Success’s breakfast programs, which cost roughly $1.30 per student per day. Thirty cents is covered by governments, the rest through fundraising and charitable donations to the foundation.

Parsonage says research done by the TDSB in 2012 found that as many as 68 per cent of students were coming to school without breakfast. The study of 6,000 students found that when kids were fed breakfast, “magic things started to happen,” said Parsonage. “Math scores went up, reading scores went up, attendance improved, and even suspensions fell in half,” she said.

“In a country as affluent as Canada in 2014, it’s unbelievable to me that children don’t have enough food,” said Parsonage. “We think of hunger as something that happens overseas, but the reality is, it’s a problem right here at home.”

Muslim charities look to give back locally | Toronto Star

 

[Hurter]

Good deeds are on sale in Ramadan... Do charity as much as you can & get multiplied by 70

 

[Dubious]

Good deeds are on sale in Ramadan... Do charity as much as you can & get multiplied by 70

We should do it every now and then keeps the human in us alive