Originally published in Dallas Morning News For the next 30-odd days, thousands of Muslims within the D-FW metroplex will not touch a morsel of food or drink from dawn to sunset. In the Islamic calendar, the month of Ramadan is a special time for Muslims, during which they are encouraged to be more observant in the practice of their faith, give more to charity and reduce conflict among...
Originally published in The Oshkosh Northwestern The Islamic month of Ramadan started last week. Ramadan is the month of fasting. Fasting is when you don’t eat or drink from dawn to sunset. Sick people, traveling people, and kids are allowed to skip fasting to a time when they are able to. If one cannot fast at all, then at least one should arrange food for a poor and needy person...
Originally published in Santa Barbara Independent The atmosphere feels a bit different at 3:50 a.m. Hot summer days are suddenly cooled by the solitude this time of the night creates. Not only are many people at this hour awakening from a drunken stupor, but during the month of Ramadan, 1.3 billion Muslims in the world are awakening to pray and eat before their fast. Muslims throughout the...
Originally published in The Oshkosh Northwestern Starting July 10, as the Islamic month of Ramadan rolls around, I know I will get questions like “So how long do you have to go without food?” or “Do you have to fast if you are sick or young?” but it is the “I can’t eat or drink anything, not even water” comment that usually gets the most...
Originally Published in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Picture a wartime scenario of a family attempting to flee its home near Damascus, once considered the safest place in Syria. Picture a young girl hunkering down in her basement all day long because of incessant shelling. These tragic stories are becoming a typical part of an average Syrian’s life. But Syria can build internal and...
Originally Posted on The Huffington Post If you know a Muslim, you are sure to have heard about Ramadan and the tradition of fasting in Islam. Ramadan is the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic calendar. Millions of Muslims across the country and many more across the world will spend the month fasting. Even though it is singular in its details, the practice of fasting as a form of spiritual...
IF YOU know a Muslim, you are sure to have heard about Ramadan and the tradition of fasting in Islam. Ramadan is the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic calendar, and it began Aug. 1 in the United States. Millions of Muslims across the country and many more across the world will spend the month fasting. Even though it is singular in its details, the practice of fasting as a form of spiritual...