Ramadan 2010 and Why You Should Care

Happy Ramadan everyone! 

Welcome to the first official post of “My Ramadan Project”. I’m still figuring out how I want to work this special component of my blog and the type of information I would like to include. So… please bear with me as I finagle my way through the process. I’m sure at some times it will be incredibly organized, thought out, and well researched while at others it may be more sporadic, opinionated, with thoughts floating from every which direction. Anyway, my goal here, as mentioned in my blog from August 6^th, is to raise awareness about Islam and Muslims as well as show a positive perspective and clear up some misconceptions about the religion and the people who practice it. As such, I’ve decided to start with some basics.

from theramadanblog.blogspot.com

I remember two years ago, a girl in the leadership class I was TAing for, handed out invitations to join the Cornell Muslim community in celebrating Ramadan. After sharing the information with some of my lovely friends it was decided that we would join in. Kristin, Elizabeth, and I woke up before sunrise, zipped on over to West Campus and joined Muslims and non-Muslims in eating our first before-sunrise Ramadan meal. The three of us had intentions to return at sunset for iftar (the breaking of the fast) but ended up staying at our cozy little house and were joined by our Muslim friend Z to celebrate together. Sharing in my friend’s experience as well as what many Muslims experience throughout a 30-day period was my main reason for partaking in the event… but I can’t honestly say I learned anything about the Ramdan itself. So…

What is Ramadan? Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon. Thus, Ramadan falls on a different day every year. It is believed to be the time that the Qur’an was revealed to the prophet Mohammed. Nowadays, the month of Ramadan is often spent in reflection fasting from sunrise to sunset, taking the time to pray five times each day (particularly if one does not do this regularly throughout the year), and renewing one’s commitment towards God.

Scanning article after article, it has become clear that Ramadan 2010 is earlier than it has been in years, which is proving to be a little difficult for some people. Think about it… you’re fasting from sunup to sundown and since it’s summer, it’s hotter and the hours the sun is out are longer. It sounds like a potential health risk to me and is also a concern for the Muslim community. In today’s Huffington Post, one article addressing the matter, “Ramadan Today: Chicago Muslims Brace for an Especially Difficult Holy Month,” suggests that Muslims ensure that their pre-dawn meal be nutritious and full of liquids, and that they take power naps during the day to remain energized. Of course, this is one way to attend to potential health concerns… but there are of course others. Egypt, apparently, is turning back time a la Daylight Savings style, so that the fast will end an hour earlier. The length of fasting will remain the same, but I am a little confused about how this works since I was under the impression that fasting was based upon the rising and falling of the sun rather than man-made time. Thoughts? Anyone?

On another note, other articles that have been popping up periodically have to do with people’s intentions for Ramadan. One such article that caught my eye was “Muslims Take Pains to Abstain From Anger During Ramadan” in August 9th's Chicago Tribune. I find it incredibly commendable that people are working on incorporating this into their daily lives, especially at a time when they are fasting. I know I tend to be grumpiest when I am hungry, so learning to mitigate anger when I am so vulnerable to falling into its clutches is something that I perhaps too will try this Ramadan. (Who says I can’t use this time for reflection and spirituality as well?)

From http://www.zeeburgnieuws.nl/nieuws/mb_un_sep_2007.html

It is important for all people to learn about Islam. In our global community of what the U.S. Census Bureau estimates to be over 6,800,000,000 people, approximately 23% of those people, in Pew Forum estimates, are Muslim. That’s almost 1 out of every 4 people. 


Think about it. That’s a quarter of our world right there. Shouldn’t it be a priority for us to bridge the gap of understanding? Shouldn’t we take the time and effort to learn more about other religions so that we can better understand one another? Shouldn’t we be gaining a basic understanding of Islam? Schools incorporate Christian and Jewish holidays into their calendars… shouldn’t Muslim holidays be accepted as well? (Actually, I should mention that one New Jersey school district is adding two new Muslim Holidays to its calendar: Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha, as well as the Hindu holiday of Diwali, which I think is a great step towards creating a more global understanding and undertone of respect for other cultures/religions). Ramadan can be a time not only of introspection for Muslims everywhere, but also a time for non-Muslims to reflect on what we can do to learn more about Islam and Muslims, and to stand in solidarity with a growing world population.

So I urge you, my readers, to take part in this project, ask questions, leave comments, and let me know how you think we can work to build a better understanding between Muslims and Non-Muslims.


Sources: 


FAQ for Muslims. retrieved from http://www.ramadan.com.au/faq.
(August 10, 2010). N.J. School District to Observe Muslim Holidays. Courier-Post. Retrieved from http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20100810/NEWS02/100810019/N.J.-school-district-to-observe-Muslim-holidays.


(August 11, 2010). Ramadan Starts Today: Chicago Muslims Brace for an Especially Difficult Holy Month. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/11/ramadan-starts-today-chic_n_678812.html.


Brachear, Manya A. (August 09, 2010). Muslims Take Pains to Abstain from Anger during Ramadan: Parents Learn to Control Temper While Fasting. Chicago Tribune.  Retrieved from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-08-09/news/ct-met-scream-free-ramadan-20100809_1_ramadan-sheikh-kifah-mustapha-control-temper.


Bryant, Christa Case. (August 11, 2010). Ramadan 2010 USA: From Miami to Mecca, how 1.6 Billion Muslims Celebrate. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved from http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/0811/Ramadan-2010-USA-From-Miami-to-Mecca-how-1.6-billion-Muslims-celebrate


Lunde, Paul. (2002). Islam: Faith, Culture, History. New York, DK Publishing Inc. 


Nelson, Soraya Sarhaddi. (August 11, 2010). In Egypt, Turning Back the Clock. NPR. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129105207&ft=1&f=1009.


Pew Research Center. (October 2009). Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population. Washington, D.C.: Miller, Tracy (Ed.).


U.S. Census Bureau. (August 11, 2010). US & World Population Clocks.  Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html.