Students fast during the long summer days

Muslim students at Curtis struggled with their commitment to fasting during long days of summer.

Ramadan,the ninth month on the Muslim calendar, is the month of fasting for Muslims all around the world. It lasts for 29-30 days, depending on sightings of the moon.  Ramadan was started as a Holy Month after the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in 610 CE on the occasion known as Laylat al-Qadr.

Fasting is one of The Five Pillars of Islam, the duties Muslims must fulfil during their lifetime. The duration of fasting lasts from dawn to sunset. This time is meant to be used for spiritual reflection, improvement, worship, as well as putting more emphasis into following the teachings of Islam. Fasting is also a way to induce sympathy for those less fortunate and strongly encourages donating to charity.

This year Ramadan took place in July, the longer daylight hours  increased the duration of fasting. On June 28th sunrise was at 5:27am and sunset was at 8:37pm for a total of 15 hours that Muslims had to forgo food and drink.

In the Southern hemisphere, Winter started  on the 21st of June, the days of fasting there were as short as 10 hours, while in the Northern hemisphere, the hours were as long as 20 hours.

Ramadan is very different in the Middle East compared to America. In the Middle East the majority of the population is Muslim, which means everyone is fasting together. Meanwhile in America, Muslims are a minority and go through their day seeing people eat and drink while they are abstaining. “This year it was just a lot harder because of the heat, but it was very good for your body,” said Rawan Younes a freshman in Curtis. Muslim Curtis athletes had to endure the heat while practicing during the fast. Soccer player Musleh Seidi said “The coaches went a little easier on us.”