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鈥淟et them eat cake!鈥�

Hundreds of years later, this statement seems either completely absurd or completely insensitive, because we know that those who could not afford bread most certainly couldn鈥檛 afford cake.

Today we have at our fingertips all the facts. We know that every year 15 million children die of hunger. And that someone dies of hunger every 3.6 seconds.

We are not much closer to a solution, however. In fact, we seem to be straying further and further from a possible end to the problem of world hunger, with increasing prices and bread riots in many parts of the world.

The situation is not yet impossible. For one month every year, Muslims from all parts of the world celebrate Ramadan and experience the problem of hunger. At the end of a month of fasting, before they can celebrate Eid and the end of the fast, they must contribute to the alleviation of hunger by giving their obligatory charity: Zakat ul-Eid.

This year, the Muslim Student Association invites you to take part in both of these aspects of the fast. The association will collect donations for Feed Nova Scotia on behalf of each non-Muslim student that tries the fastathon for one day, Wednesday, Sept. 17.

We will break the fast together in a potluck event in the McInnes Room in the SUB, and there will be a talk by Dr. Jamal Badawi, the well-known Muslim Scholar, and a representative of Feed Nova Scotia. This year, unlike previous years, the association will also be accepting donations of non-perishable food items for Feed Nova Scotia.

And while you are getting through a full day without food you will have an opportunity to satisfy your curiosity about Ramadan and Islam in general.

The month of Ramadan is not only about helping the poor. It also teaches self-control, and is a spiritual experience for Muslims. This is the month in which the Holy Quran was revealed so it is a common practice to try and finish reading the whole Quran during the month. It is seen as a month of blessing in which good deeds will be rewarded manifold so Muslims use this opportunity to get into good habits鈥攐r out of bad ones. Ramadan is a month of resolutions and reflection.

I have heard it said, from many different mouths, that there would be no problem of hunger if all the Muslims in the world were to actually give their charity, including the Zakat ul-Eid, which comes with Ramadan, and the other yearly charity which is 2.5 per cent聽of annual savings.

I have also heard it said that apathy kills. Maybe we can鈥檛 really get the whole world to change to solve the problem of hunger, but it is logical that any charity that any of us gives will mean one less person hungry, at least for a time. The hard part is forcing ourselves out of indifference.

We can fight apathy by taking the time, to walk a mile in a poor person鈥檚 shoes and understand their hunger. Besides, what鈥檚 better than sitting down with your fellow students to a heaped plate of the best multicultural foods after you鈥檝e gone hungry for a day?

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Noor Al-Shanti is a fourth year Chem/Bio student and a member of the Maritime Muslim Students Association.

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