COLUMN: A holy month of fasting and faith

From Kamal Solaiman, Guest Columnist From Kamal Solaiman, Guest Columnist January 10 marked the beginning of Ramadan -- the Islamic month of fasting -- which will continue until February 8th. This is the holiest month of the year for the one billion Muslims throughout the world. Ramadan is the month in which God revealed the Koran to Mohammed, an illiterate Arab trader who became the prophet of Islam more than 1,400 years ago. This is significant since Ramadan is not pegged to the birth of any person by rather to the birth of a book -- the Koran, viewed as God's direct words and a means of Salvation. Within the Koran, Muslims are commanded to abstain completely for about 30 days from foods, drinks, smoking, and intimacy from before the break of dawn until sunset. More generally, it is abstaining from all forms of temptations. Not all Muslims must fast; only those that will not suffer any personal harm as a result. Islamic fasting is similar to other types of fasting like the Jewish Passover and the Christian Lent. Like the other religions, this is meant not only as a physical fast, but as a spiritual and mental fast. Most importantly, it imbues man with a devotion and closeness to God and it creates in Muslims the spirit of unity. It also indoctrinates man in patience and unselfishness. While fasting, one feels the pain of deprivation but must endure patiently. Though temporary, this experience makes Muslims realize the severe effects of such pains on others who might be deprived of essential commodities for a longer period of time, for example homeless people. The experience makes a person more likely and more often than others to sympathize with his fellow man and respond to their needs. Though there are similarities between the faiths, there are several differences as well. For example, Jewish people fast from sunrise to sunset each fall on Yom Kippur -- the Jewish Day of Atonement. I know people who took off from school or work for this annual day of fasting. Muslims cannot do that since the fasting period is for a whole month, not just one day. Another difference is that Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar, which is based on the moon and is therefore 10 to 11 days shorter than the sun-based calendar. Over a period of years, Islamic fasting covers the four seasons; thus, Muslims fast under differing conditions and durations (cold, short days during the winter to long, hot days during the summer) throughout their lives. For the six million followers of Islam in the United States, Ramadan is much more difficult than it would be in an Islamic country. In this environment, Muslims have to focus on what's really important: faith. However, making time for prayer or keeping the fast as their non-Muslim friends or co-workers eat usually deepens Muslims' commitment to their faith and makes the sacrifice more meaningful. Nevertheless, I encourage you to ease this difficulty on Muslims. Please keep in mind the following: 1) Be tolerant of Islamic practices and make sure you avoid harassment and discrimination based on religion. 2) Be willing to make allowances for the physical effects of dawn to dusk fasting on Muslims' efficiency at work. Keep in mind that Muslims can still work effectively. For example, there are quite a few sports figures, most notably Hakeem Olajuwan of the Houston Rockets, who fast during Ramadan but still play and perform well. 3) Help Muslims perform their two required prayers during normal work hours (mid-day and mid-afternoon prayers) by providing them a private room for about the 10 minutes it takes to do the prayer. 4) Be flexible when Muslims want to adjust their work schedules so they can be home just before dawn and just after dusk to pray and eat. 5) Consider Muslims' requests to use their vacation days during Ramadan and especially for the festive day after Ramadan, called Eid ul-Fitr, a day which is equivalent to Christmas for the Christians and Yom Kippur for Jews. 6) Health care professionals should be aware that medicine, including injections, break the fast. Patients should be allowed to decide if their condition is serious enough to allow them to be exempt from fasting. For anyone interested in learning more about Ramadan, you can use the World Wide Web to learn about this sacred period and about Islam at http://www.holidays.net/ramadan/.