About 70 Muslim students and community members, dressed in colorful scarves and traditional garb, gathered last night with non-Muslim students for the fourth annual Fast-A-Thon at the HUB-Robeson Center.

The event, held in Heritage Hall and sponsored by Penn State's Muslim Student Association, was intended to teach students about the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, said club president Hamdan Yousuf.

"We wanted to create a discussion between people in order to promote tolerance," he said. "That's why we brought non-Muslim students to dine with us."

During the month, Muslims fast during the daylight hours and eat meals only before sunrise and after sunset. Muslims also refrain from consuming alcohol, having sex and performing deeds considered immoral, such as cursing and lying.

For Fast-a-Thon, non-Muslim students agreed to fast for one day and received a free dinner from the Muslim Student Association after sunset. Some students said they decided to participate in the event to learn more about Islam.

"It seemed like a good cultural experience," said Steven Sfeir (junior-international politics). "Keeping the fast wasn't too bad. I was up all night studying, so I basically slept all day."

Rachel Guldin (sophomore-journalism) said she fasted to promote religious tolerance.

"It wasn't too bad," she said. "After I got over the initial breakfast hunger, I didn't find fasting very hard at all."

Before the meal, an Arabic call to prayer reminded the audience of the sunset prayer. Traditionally, Muslims pray five times every day to remind themselves of God.

During the prayer, students stood in lines and bowed and knelt in unison. Then, people broke their fast by eating dates, which are wrinkled, brown, sweet-tasting fruit.

For the meal, the food was prepared according to tradition, said Siti Sarah Jumali (senior-biotechnology).

"We don't eat pork during Ramadan," she said. "We also eat traditional ground meats. All our animals are slaughtered in the name of God and slit in the throat, so the animal dies quickly and toxins don't build up in the meat."

Khalid Yassin, a guest speaker at the event, who felt drawn to Islam by the preachings of Malcolm X and now travels and teaches tolerance between Christians and Muslims, spoke about the Western misconceptions of Islam and urged students to inform themselves of Islam's teachings.

"Islam and America do not have to be contradictory terms," he said. "We have to learn to live with Muslims or live with hatred and ignorance."