CIMB non-Muslim staff find joy in fasting during Ramadan

KUALA LUMPUR: Yong Jiunn Run did not know what to expect when he decided to try fasting for the first time.
The CIMB Group Commercial Banking Chief Executive Officer (CEO) only knew that he wanted to complete the challenge for charity through ''Puasa-thon 2017''.
He was among the 100 non-muslim staff who participated and successfully completed their fast today.
Apart from this, they also donated RM100 each to selected orphanages, old folks' homes, as well as disabled people.
The event, hosted by CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad, marked its second year of encouraging non-Muslim staff to fast for one day during Ramadan.
Sharing his first experience on fasting, Yong, who is also the patron of Puasa-thon, said he did not feel hungry despite having a busy schedule.
"At first I thought I will be very hungry and cannot ''tahan'' (last) during lunch hour but I told myself to be patient and not to think about food," he said in his speech during the event here.
He said the objective of the occasion was to instil greater inter-faith understanding and foster a sense of togetherness, as well as contribute to charity and unite CIMB staff through this unique experience.
"We were guided on how to fast, and on the do's and don'ts during fasting. I was told that fasting also helps to detox our body, which is good for health.
"Besides, fasting teaches us to appreciate what we have and not to depend too much on food," he said.
Meanwhile, CIMB Group Islamic Banking CEO Rafe Haneef said he was impressed to see the high number of non-Muslim staff participating in this year's Puasa-thon.
"Last year, we had about 200 non-Muslim staff participating in the event and we received positive feedback from them to organise it annually during the holy month," he said. — Bernama