On Ramadan

In case you weren’t aware, we are in the Islamic lunar month of Ramadan. And in case you were aware but didn’t really know what that means, allow me to explain.

Ramadan is a Muslim holiday that begins on the first crescent moon of the month (as do all Islamic lunar months), and ends on the following crescent. Although it lasts for a full month, it is, in fact, a commemoration of a one-night event: the ascension of the Prophet Muhammad to Heaven from the rock in Jerusalem to receive the revelation of the Qur’an from the Archangel Gabriel.

Consequently, the month of Ramadan is one of purification and reconnecting with the spiritual. Muslims are forbidden from eating, drinking, smoking, and having sex during the daylight hours, though many also believe that they cannot gossip, fight, use bad words, have lascivious thoughts, or do anything else selfish or sinful.

In practice, this manifests as people spending the daytime as quickly as possible, using as little energy as possible, and then, when the muezzin (the man who calls the faithful to prayer) signals the sunset prayer, everybody prays, eats breakfast,” and then parties all night long. In a little more than a week we’ll have the Eid el-Fitr – the final night of Ramadan – which will be epic.

For Peace Corps Volunteers in a Muslim country, this means that it’s very difficult to have lunch. I’ve actually been observing the fast, as has one other, but the others are often frustrated by their inability to buy an afternoon snack, as well as restrictions on eating or drinking in public. There is nothing forbidden about non-Muslims not observing the fast (though Muslims seen eating during the sun hours could theoretically be imprisoned), but considering how we are here to work on integration and mutual understanding, it’s pretty much out of the question.

And the most important lesson to learn from Ramadan, in my view, is that not everyone observes it. You have the high schoolers who instead of smoking in the bathroom are popping a quick chocolate bar, and every night at the sunset prayer you can see the cafes that are still full of people (though they only now start eating or drinking). You also have the ones who observe all of the restrictions throughout the month, and then pop open a bottle of alcohol the day after Eid. In short, they are just like the hordes of Jews and Christians that observe (or don’t) their high holidays and then spend the rest of year doing what they want.

And speaking from experience, the fast is not as difficult as you might think, though it is by no means easy. The hardest part is waking up early at about 4 am to have “dinner” and being tired all day. That and the fact that no one else in my group (aside from the Moroccans) is fasting. That will change this Sunday, though, when we all go to homestays and stop living together in a group. Good luck to them.