—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
JAMAICA, New York (October 19, 2010) – In a press release issued today, the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) appealed to American Muslim community leaders and Imams to raise awareness about hunger in the United States.
The request comes during ICNA’s National Campaign Against Hunger, a month-long campaign of advocacy, awareness and service launched on October 1st to battle the effects of hunger across the country.
Naeem Baig, Executive Director of the ICNA Council for Social Justice, requested Imams to use Friday sermons to educate the public on the lack of food security in the nation. Statistics show that 13 million households (14.6%) struggle for food in the United States—the highest level of hunger since the U.S. Department of Agriculture first began measuring food security in 1995.
“Hunger and poverty have plagued our society for years, recently becoming even more pronounced due to the flailing state of our economy,” said Baig. “These matters must be tackled with urgency, yet little progress has been made to overcome them. It is our duty as leaders, lecturers and Imams to raise awareness about the effects of hunger in the United States. We encourage you to use your venue to educate the public on and promote action against hunger.” A sermon is available for reference on the campaign’s website, www.icna.org/hunger.
