A visitor to Tulsa city in the North-west American state of Oklahoma this Ramadan will see a unique unity between Islamic and Christian groups, gathered to offer help, food and care to hundreds of the city homeless.
“We thought it would be a fun thing to do during Ramadan because it’s in the spirit of our faith to feed others,” said Allison Moore, executive director of Surayya Anne Foundation, a Muslim faith-based nonprofit that focuses on battered women and others in need, told Tulsa World on Friday, July 18.
“It’s great to get young people out to see the many different faces of Tulsa.”
Moore is one of about 80 Muslims who volunteer every week to serve food and provide other essentials to those in need in Tulsa.
Gathering under an expressway bridge on the edge of downtown, the volunteers meet weekly to offer help at Night Light Tulsa, started by a group affiliated with Park Plaza Church of Christ.
“The feedback I get from our guests is that we make them feel like they matter, like we care who they are and where they came from,” said Anisa Jackson, co-founder of Night Light Tulsa.
Jackson said the idea came from a similar program in Portland, Oregon.
“We’ve been on mission trips with our families but thought there is so much need here in our backyard,” Jackson said.
Aged 23 and younger, the volunteers come from Islamic Society of Tulsa along with Surayya Anne Foundation.
The majority of the volunteers were 23 and younger and were mobilized by Safa El Soueissi, an intern on the board of the Islamic Society of Tulsa.
“This is why we fast, to feel of the homeless and poor and those less fortunate,” El Soueissi said.
“Bringing these youths down here makes a big impact on understanding why we do what we do.”
Month of Charity
Coming in Ramadan, the idea found great support inside the Muslim community.
“This is the true essence of fasting for us. We are encouraged to take care of the impoverished and less fortunate,” said Heera Sheikh, president of the Islamic Society board.
“It’s wonderful to bring our communities together, and I hope we can make this an annual thing.”
After feeding the homeless, the Surayya Anne volunteers took time to break their fast before packing up and going home.
Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, started last June 28 in North America.
In addition to fasting, Ramadan is also a month of increased worship, special prayers, and recitation of the Qur’an.
While Ramadan is generally known as the month for personal restraint, worship and reflection, it is also the month of giving for Muslims as they support the needy and engage in charitable acts.
Traditionally, Muslims give their annual Zakat (alms) to the poor in developing countries and donations to support relief work around the world.
/149