Noor Women Bring the Spirit of Ramadan to the IRC in Tucson

Today, hundreds in our Tucson neighborhoods will go hungry. By choice. In the midst of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, Muslims refrain from eating or drinking in order to learn patience, humility and spirituality. Many also recharge their spirituality with charity. Shama Qureshi, one of the founding members of an interfaith, volunteer organization known as  Noor Women’s Association, reports, “Ramadan is one of our busiest times of the year. A large part of Islam is charity, or ‘Zakat’ in which you reassess your assets and give a percentage of your income to a cause.”

 
While you may not have heard of Noor Women’s Association or seen them on billboards down Broadway, this humble group, founded over 10 Ramadans ago, carries the spirit of Zakat with them year-round by aiding refugees. The word Noor, meaning “light” in Arabic, is idyllic: perfectly embodying the warmth and brilliance these women have brought to hundreds. Noor is an interfaith group; members are Muslims, Christians and Jews.

 
Shama and the other founding members first started the organization by recognizing and voicing the needs of Afghan women and children who had suffered under the hand of the Taliban. In the beginning, Noor members visited families and supplemented the needs that social service agencies would not be able to provide. IRC Case Manager, Meheria Maleh shares, “Whenever we run out of options, we run to them… we would not be able to help everyone without their assistance.”

 
Since then, the Noor group has supported Tucson resettlement agencies and generated funds and donations for over 900 families. Just this past year alone, the women raised over $20,000 to give directly to refugees supported by the IRC, along with hundreds of hygiene, household items and furniture donations. These donations help refugees build a stable home while searching for a job, recovering from illness, or encountering financial hardship.

 
Aside from donations, Noor provides home visits and English tutoring. Maleh adds, “these women help drastically improve refugees’ language skills, understanding of their community and the Tucson environment.” To the women of Noor, aiding refugees has become second nature. The pillars of patience, humility and spirituality are practiced daily.  

 
As the month of fasting and spirituality continues, Noor works diligently to advocate on behalf of the refugees they serve. The women agree; their service is what sustains them, just as in the spirit of Ramadan. They stress that it is important the Tucson community understand the struggle of the refugee. Shama affirms, “People don’t realize; America is still the Promised Land to so many people.”
 
 
Written by: Brittany Schilling, Development Associate/ Desiree Collins, Administrative Assistant