Muslims in Charlotte (file photo)

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, October 21 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) -  Muslims in Charlotte, North Carolina, have set out on a 30-day long road trip to visit 28 Islamic centers in 18 states in Ramadan, as other community members around the country seek to build bonds with each other during the Muslim holy month of fasting.

The organizers of the trip said it is also meant to raise public awareness about the holy month, during which Muslims go without food or drink from the time the sun rises until it sets.

“We have knowledge from the proper source and the proper way, so they can practice the religion and find religion and sovereignty in their heart through the proper channels,” Farq Hunter, the director of Ramadan Worship at the Charlotte Islamic Center, was quoted by News 14 Carolina broadcaster as saying Tuesday, October 19.

There is lots of entertaining and socializing during Ramadan.

More than 2,000 Muslims gathered for an iftar meal at the Charlotte Islamic Center last week.

Closer

Meanwhile, Muslims in American universities take up the chance of the holy month to gather and reflect on what Ramadan meant to each other.

In Binghamton , New York , the Muslim Student Association encouraged those Muslim students who did not return home for the holiday for a collective iftar in the Old Union’s East Lounge.

“It’s not just about giving up food and drink,” Adeel Bashir, a senior philosophy major and president of Binghamton ’s Muslim Student Association told the campus paper.

“It is an awareness of all actions, a month of self-reflection and correction,” he said.

Bashir set the event in motion by starting an activity for all present to participate in.

The activity asked students to list what they planned to give up and what they intended to do during Ramadan.

Each person filled out the sheet and placed it in an envelope which wouldn’t be opened until the end of Ramadan. The purpose of this exercise was to see what promises the participants would be able to uphold, Bashir said.

After the envelopes were stored away, many of those present rose to speak about what Ramadan meant to them. Some drew on personal memories, while others relied on stories or poems from the Internet to convey their thoughts.

Building Bonds

Students at the Binghamton University expressed how the holy month could build bonds with people across the world.

Masooma Hydary, a junior double-majoring in economics and philosophy, politics and law, spoke of the feelings inspired by Ramadan.

“It’s the bond you have with people all across the world,” Hydary said.

Many students discussed how easy it is to take Ramadan for granted. They felt that good deeds were neglected for the majority of the year, only to be performed during the holiday, said the campus's paper.

Several others said that, after a month of fasting, one really starts to realize how blessed one is. Fasting gives one great empathy for the less fortunate, they said, and makes a person realize their duty to help those who may not be as fortunate.

“It’s a time where everyone comes together to support and purify themselves,” said Shamila Dilmaghani, the president of the senior class council.

“It’s a time to try to be a better person and role model to others.”

In keeping with Ramadan’s theme of charity, the Muslim Student Association is starting a fund-raiser called “Fast-to-Feed.”

Non-Muslim students are encouraged to pledge to fast for one day, November 5. For each pledge, sponsors will donate money to CHOW, an organization to help feed the hungry.

While student opinions of the holy month varied, one quote, read from the poem “Ramadan: A Touch of Blessing” by Haroun Cambell, one of the attendees, seemed to reach all in the audience:

“Praying for forgiveness and purity too. This month is one where the heart becomes new.”

Students at Brooklyn International High School have asked for taking time off to attend Friday mosque services in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Several city schools accommodate Muslim students throughout the year, dismissing them early Fridays with a letter from a parent or the mosque.

US Muslim organizations have launched a nationwide campaign in Ramadan, in an effort to reach out to non-Muslims and create a better understanding of Islam during the holy fasting month.

The Southern California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations - the largest US Islamic civil liberties group -- has run radio advertisements intended to educate the public about Ramadan.

The ad campaign is part of a nationwide initiative designed to enhance understanding of Islam and to help Americans of all faiths meet their Muslim neighbors by taking part in a Ramadan iftar, the fast-breaking meal.

The initiative, called “Sharing Ramadan,” was prompted by the rising level of Islamophobic prejudice in American society.

Ramadan is the holiest month of Islam, a time of spiritual reflection and discipline for the world's more than 1 billion Muslims.

Besides abstaining from food, Muslims avoid drinking, smoking and sexual activity from dawn to dusk. Other prohibitions include lying, anger and unkind remarks.

The Islamic Shura Council of North America and the Fiqh Council of North America have announced that Friday , October 15, is the first day of Ramadan.