Executive Director Mohamed Yahya attended “Lives of Darfur,”
an Eid Reception Fundraiser 

Washington, D.C. - October 23, 2008.

The Project Nur Chapter at American University (“AU”), announces “Lives of Darfur,” an Eid reception fundraiser featuring Mohamed Yahya, founder and Executive Director of the Damanga Coalition. The event will take place on Thursday, October 23rd, at 7:30 p.m. in the Butler Board Room on the AU campus.
The event is both a celebration of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr and an effort by Project Nur students at AU to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur.  Mohamed Yahya, a refugee from the Darfur region of Sudan and one of the first activists to spotlight the genocide taking place, will be the keynote speaker.  All event proceeds will go to the Damanga Coalition (www.damanga.org), which works to promote the human rights of the people of Darfur and ensure the preservation of their ethnic communities. The fundraiser is co-sponsored by Student Peace Alliance, CASJ, Nourish International, STAND, the Roosevelt Institution, AU Persian Club, and the Progressive Muslim Network.

“Eid al-Fitr is a very important holiday for Muslims everywhere,” explained Mohamed Yahya. “It comes once every year, and it is a time of compassion and peace.”  Reflecting, however, on the current situation in Darfur, Yahya observed:  “Unfortunately, despite the fact that all residents are Muslims, they have not been able to enjoy Eid, or any other holiday, since the conflict in Darfur erupted.”

The Project Nur chapter is working to bring together the AU community to celebrate Eid with an event that emphasizes civic responsibility, a cornerstone of the holiday. "I think our celebration of Eid should honor the ideas that are so much a part of this holiday: community, unity, charity, and responsibility," said Project Nur AU President, Celina Kurani. "The genocide in Darfur is a great tragedy of the human conscience, and Eid reminds us of our duty as a human community to speak out for and help the people there."
Yahya personally has suffered tremendous losses as a result of the genocide in Darfur.  “I’m one of the victims of this war. I’ve lost more than 21 of my family members and close relatives since this war began,” Yahya said. His home was completely decimated and most of his relatives and neighbors were shot, raped, or burned alive in their huts in 1993.  Yahya, at that time, was studying at Al-Azhar University in Cairo.
“Hearing about what Mr. Yahya has done through the Damanga Coalition will definitely inspire students, faculty, and others to take a more pro-active role in raising awareness about the genocide happening in Darfur and to do something about it,” said Trish Ward, a Project Nur AU member.

“Because we are all connected as human beings regardless of our religion, culture, gender, race, etcetera, we have to work together to stop this genocide, before it is too late. We need to save the innocent lives in Darfur and give them a chance to enjoy their lives and celebrate holidays like Eid in peace.”
Project Nur (www.projectnur.org) is a "new light on campus" that creates a distinct and alternative Muslim voice: a civic identity grounded in pluralism and moderate thinking and action, one that dispels the perception of a monolithic Muslim voice. It emphasizes civic action with the goal of forging a cohesive and mutually respectful multicultural community of university students who are committed to the advancement of human rights, civil rights, social justice, tolerance, understanding, and co-existence.  Project Nur is a student-led initiative of the American Islamic Congress.