Every year, almost two billion Muslims around the world celebrate Ramadan, a holy month during which we abstain from eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset. This article isn’t a World Cultures-esque review of the traditions of the holiday itself- if you want to learn more about that, here’s an informative article. Rather, this is about my personal experiences fasting for the last 4 years as a student at MLHS.
Tough Decisions
Muslims follow the lunar calendar, so Ramadan starts about 10 days earlier every year. For the past couple years, it has coincided with the last months of the school year, during the spring sports season, AP season, and finals season. This year it started April 23rd and ended on May 23rd. For most of my finals and AP exams, I skipped my fast for that day- there’s a reason teachers tell you to eat well before exams. I didn’t want hunger or thirst to affect my ability to take these important tests, although I kept taking normal tests and quizzes that occurred in the school day. My brother is on the lacrosse team, and he chose to keep fasting during practices but skip fasting the days he had games. This year, we both fasted for all 30 days, as well had a more relaxed schedule and shorter exams.
In addition to the technicalities of school, there is a social impact of Ramadan. There are always people eating and drinking around you in school. Even when I was fasting, I still sat at my lunch table with my friends during our off periods, mostly because I enjoyed their company. After all, I don’t expect people to stop having food in front of me altogether, unless they’re eating/drinking in a way that is intended to offend me. However, I missed out on a few Dunkin’ runs and trips to eat out, because I didn’t want to go to a restaurant while fasting. Ramadan is also a period of increased religious observance, so many Muslims try to avoid listening to music and try to watch less TV. Instead, we focus on praying and helping the needy.
Dealing With Questions
The most common question I’ve gotten about fasting is…WHY? Why stop eating and drinking for over 16 hours? For me personally, it’s about self control. Refusing to eat when there’s food in front of you and you’re hungry isn’t easy, but it isn’t supposed to be. Fasting clears your mind and forces you to focus on what’s important. Lastly, it allows me to reflect on my privilege. Millions around the world go hungry every day, while I can get something to eat whenever I want. Fasting gives me an appreciation for what I have.
Ramadan isn’t an excuse for avoiding responsibilities because you’re hungry and exhausted. I rarely told my teachers that I was fasting because I did not expect preferential treatment because of it. The month is tiring; during Ramadan I would sleep as soon I got home from school, and then wake up at sunset to eat, then stay up late to finish my work. Then I would wake up at around 4 am to eat Suhoor/Sehri, the pre dawn meal eaten only when fasting. I would wake up for school just 2 hours later. Additionally, there are extra prayers that are performed during Ramadan that go late into the night. It’s certainly a challenging situation, but not impossible.
Raising Awareness
Over the years, I’ve had a few of my non-Muslim friends try fasting to see what it’s like, which makes me beyond happy. When I did tell my teachers at MLHS that I was fasting, they were generally very accepting of what I was doing. I hope MLHS eventually gives students a day off for Eid-ul-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, or at least makes an effort to avoid scheduling important events on the day of Eid. Last year, the Eid prayer was held at Metflife Stadium, and tens of thousands of Muslims from all around the tri-state area showed up. It was an amazing morning that showed me just how committed New Jersey was to allowing Muslims to celebrate Eid. Regardless, there’s a lot of progress to be made in raising awareness of Ramadan and educating people on the traditions of the holiday, both in the school system and in the workplace at large. I wish that non-Muslim students would understand the beauty of the Ramadan, just like I appreciate the rich traditions of Diwali, Passover, and Christmas.
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