Millennial Muslims on Ramadan Giving

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Having been involved in Muslim-Christian dialogue as a former Buxton Initiative [2] staff member, I’ve been thinking about this year’s Ramadan season and, specifically, how Millennials in the Muslim community are responding to the call to charity during the month. I recently had an opportunity to speak with a few of the current and former Buxton representatives of the Muslim faith about the unique challenges and successes they’ve experienced in trying to put this call into action.

According to Buxton’s latest intern, Abbas Jaffer, many Muslim Student Associations [3] organize “fast-a-thons,” during which they invite non-Muslim students to join them in raising money for and awareness about hunger. Abbas also noted that many Muslims of the Millennial Generation have unique skill sets and access to tools through the Internet, which allow them to overcome the challenges of being "young and broke" by launching online awareness campaigns or fundraising drives.

For example, millennial participants in the Project Downtown [4] initiative use Facebook groups and events and upload YouTube videos [5] to promote their cause and invite others to join. What began with just a few Muslim students in Miami who were frustrated with the plight of the homeless and the lack of action they saw in their communities has blossomed into a youth-led movement with more than 30 Project Downtown Chapters across the country -- all with the help of viral outreach.

Traditionally, Muslims fast, pray, and read the Qur’an during Ramadan. Most also pay zakat, or 2.5 percent of one’s wealth above what’s required to live. And they are encouraged to participate in sadaqah, which is defined as any good deed done without the expectation of reward.

But since many young Muslims often find themselves strapped for disposable income, service projects -- like participating in food drives, preparing and distributing care packages, volunteering with tutoring programs, or otherwise serving the surrounding community -- can be a great way to fulfill the call to charity during Ramadan.

“Volunteering our time is huge and makes an impact right away,” said former Buxton staffer Aqila Zafar. “Whether it’s helping the elderly or just praying for someone, these are things that a young person can do every day.”

I particularly like the way that Fatima Alloo, a law student and former Buxton employee, described the tradition -- in a way that applies to the Ramadan traditions of all generations of Muslims: “When we give during Ramadan, we’re encouraged to do so with a sense of empathy as opposed to one of sympathy. This is demonstrated, for example, through the act of fasting during the daylight hours, so that regardless of whether a person can afford to buy or cook a meal, they experience hunger firsthand. Giving in this manner allows the person fasting to detach themselves from their ego, which can at times play a role in the act of giving, and attempt to understand and embrace at least one aspect of the difficulties experienced by another.”

If you’re interested in participating during these last few days of Ramadan, Fatima and Aqila also mentioned Islamic Relief’s Day of Dignity [6] events, which help show the positive face of Islam. The fourth annual event included 18 cities across the nation, with service days scheduled throughout the month. The Baltimore, Md., and Washington, D.C., events will wrap up the season on Sept. 27 and 28, respectively. Islamic Relief domestic program manager Clareen Menzies said the latter is expected to provide 800 of the area’s homeless with food, clothing, hygiene kits, and health screening. Contact [7] for more information.

Listen to my full chat with Aqila and Abbas [8].

Read my full interview with Fatima [9].

Attachment	Size
Aqila and Abbas Interview.mp3 [10]	12.82 MB
Fatima on Ramadan and Giving.pdf [11]	27.63 KB

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