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Transcript/Script
USAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TV Food For Thought - Ihsan
HEADLINE: Muslim Businessmen Volunteer Weekly to Feed Homeless
TEASER: Living the Muslim teaching of never leaving a neighbor hungry, volunteers feed the homeless
PUBLISHED AT: 04/10/2023 at 1:30pm
BYLINE: Irfan Ihsan
CONTRIBUTOR: Alam Burhanan, Ronan Zakaria
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: Irfan Ihsan
VIDEO EDITOR: Irfan Ihsan
SCRIPT EDITORS: KEnochs; MAS
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original, UGC (with courtesy)
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:26
VID APPROVED BY: KE
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:
((INTRO))
[[The instruction to feed the hungry is a common philosophy among most major world religions. Muslims are no exception even while observing the fasting month of Ramadan. VOA's Irfan Ihsan reports]]
((NARRATOR))
On Sunday morning, right after his morning prayers, Syed Mazhar, a Bangladeshi American who lives just outside Washington, cooks up a feast.
((Syed Mazhar, Food For Thought)) (male, in English)
“Today’s menu, we have ground beef, Alhamdulillah ("Thanks be to God") with chickpeas and vegetables.”
((NARRATOR))
He doesn't cut back on the flavor.
((Syed Mazhar, Food For Thought)) (male, in English)
“Black Pepper, ginger, Turmeric, this is mix of five spices, coriander, cumin.”
((NARRATOR))
This food is not for family or friends, but for DC area homeless.
((Syed Mazhar, Food For Thought)) (male, in English)
“When we cook the food, we just don’t randomly cook the food. We keep in our mind, like, what is good for them.”
((NARRATOR))
For Mazhar, his sharing of meals is an expression of his faith.
((Syed Mazhar, Food For Thought)) (male, in English)
“But also to represent who we are, Islam.”
((NARRATOR))
Mazhar is part of "Food For Thought", a program run by the Virginia-based non-profit "Ameen Project," established in 2018 by Muslim American businessmen and entrepreneurs.
(COURTESY: AMEEN PROJECT)
"Ameen Project" sprang from an app of the same name, used to share information on Muslims who had passed away and needed prayer, along with a mosque locator for weekly Friday prayers.
These days, it’s a network of Muslim volunteers giving to those less fortunate. They come from various national backgrounds.
Farzal Ahmad is a volunteer from Pakistan.
((Farzal Ahmad, Food For Thought)) (male, in English)
“You're not a Muslim if you eat good food and your neighbor stays hungry, doesn't have food.”
((NARRATOR))
The group feed people of all faiths, says Abdirisak Mohammed, a Somali American volunteer.
((Abdirisak Mohamed, Food for Thought)) (male, in English)
“We like to give people without looking (at) their background. If they are Christian, Jewish, people when they are homeless, they don’t have, nobody to take care of them.”
((NARRATOR))
(Courtesy: Food For Thought - Ameen Project)
Around one hundred meals, along with pastries and drinks are distributed in various parks around Washington, DC, where homeless people reside. For Nayla Sungkar, originally from Indonesia, this has become a family activity.
((Nayla Sungkar, Food for Thought))(female, in Indonesian)
"My kids are active in Ameen Project as volunteers. I hope it also makes them realize they need to be thankful that they have everything they need.”
((NARRATOR))
The latest official figures say there are about 4,400 homeless people in Washington D.C., lower than earlier pandemic highs, but still many who need regular food assistance.
((Irfan Ihsan, VOA News, Washington.))
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