WASHINGTON, October 15 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - 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 six, 60-second spots will run for the next month, CAIR said on its website on Thursday, October 14.

The first ad begins with adhan (the Muslim call to prayer). "Ramadan is a month of fasting from dawn to sunset," the ad says.

"It is a time for spiritual purification, worship, inner reflection, and increased charity and empathy for those less fortunate. It is a time to re-connect with our Creator and make peace with all people.

"We invite our fellow Americans of all faiths to join in spreading this spirit of peace and brotherhood in our communities," it added.

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.

Further Outreach

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.

CAIR called for encouraging mosques and Islamic centers nationwide to invite non-Muslims to break the daily fast with them.

The Washington-based group said the initiative, called "Sharing Ramadan," was prompted by the rising level of Islamophobic prejudice in American society.

A recent CAIR survey indicated that as many as 1-in-4 Americans holds anti-Muslim views.

However, the survey also indicated that most of those who held positive views about Islam had some sort of interaction in the past with Muslims and Islamic culture.

"The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said that Ramadan is the month of sharing with others," CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a press release last week.

"Since sharing and appreciation are essential components of Ramadan, we hope local mosques, Islamic centers and Muslim schools will take this opportunity to invite their neighbors to join in an iftar meal," he added.

This committee can be responsible for sending invitations out to local churches, synagogues and civic groups. It can also send to local media outlets who may want to cover the event.

Other Efforts

The CAIR initiative pushed other American groups to join forces for the nation-wide campaign.

The Cincinnati office of CAIR has also coordinated with the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati and Malik Islamic Center to mark Ramadan by providing hot meals to more than 500 residents of that city's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.

"Caring for the less fortunate in our community is an important and rewarding experience, one emphasized in the Islamic faith," said CAIR-Cincinnati Director Karen Dabdoub.

Dabdoub quoted Islam's Prophet Muhammad who said Ramadan "is the month of sharing with others." He also said: "A man has sinned if he neglects to feed those in need."

Muslim students at several Washington colleges also plan to break their last day of the month-long fast with non-Muslims in a national program designed to share insights into Islam.

The event, called a "Fast-a-Thon," invites non-Muslims to join Muslim students on the final day of their fast, and then to sit down with them for a feast that celebrates the end of Ramadan.

"With the war on terror and the war in Iraq, it's important more than ever that Muslims and non-Muslims get together and talk," Irmina Haq, public relations officer for the Muslim Student Association at the University of Washington, was quoted by Seattle Post-Intelligencer as saying on Friday.

The Fast-a-Thon was held for the first time last year at the University of Washington, drawing participation from 381 non-Muslim students and faculty and staff members, as well as about 50 Muslim students.

Very Important

There are hopes that the outreach efforts would expose non-Muslims to the positive precepts of the faith.

San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis announced this week that he will fast with Muslims during Ramadan.

"It helps you focus on what is important in life: your family, the roof over your head, the community you live in, the country that afforded us all of this," he told the San Jose Mercury News on Tuesday.

"At the end the day, we're all the same," he said.

Organizers say this type of extensive outreach is more important now than ever, especially after the recent CAIR survey.

"Islam and American Muslims are misunderstood," says Basim Elkarra, executive director of CAIR's Sacramento Valley chapter.

"We have to do our best to convey to our fellow Americans what this religion is about.

"We are not preaching or trying to convert," he adds.

"All we are trying to do is to clarify the misconception about our faith. Ramadan is a month of peace, sharing, religious reflection - and excellent food."