Six on History: Ramadan
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Jonathan Halabi
I am running in the UFT elections, and I am asking for your support.
I am running with United for Change – a broad coalition.
And I am running for High School Vice President. (everyone votes for VPs, even for the high school VP. I’m getting votes from retirees, elementary, secretaries, everyone)
Why should you support me? I could go on long, but let me hold it to 3 reasons.
1. You know me. I am dedicated. I’ve been Chapter Leader for 20 years. I know the issues. I know the politics. Even my opponents respect me. I’m kind of smart. I care about our schools, our communities, and our colleagues. I put the interests of the union and of all of our members above my own personal issues. We (UFT) should be standing up for those who need our help, those who are not able to stand up for themselves – but that’s not what today’s leadership does. I am progressive. I am anti-racist. I am ready to be a vice president who advocates for our members, who advocates for better conditions, and who gets stuff done.
2. Medicare. We need to stop Mulgrew’s Medicare Advantage plan. Retiree Advocate, part of the United for Change coalition, has temporarily blocked him. But we need to defeat him, or at least lower his vote total, a lot, to stop his plans to privatize Medicare. We need people to vote for the United for Change Slate to make this difference.
3. The pandemic has made clearer than ever: Unity has been in power too long. They take us for granted. They make backroom deals that meet their own political agenda. Some of those deals – instructional lunch, reducing testing, allowing 6 ft distancing to turn into 3, if possible – put our safety at risk. Others, like hybrid learning, or the crazy quarantine plans just didn’t make sense. This is not a leadership that listens to membership. They need to be replaced.
Please vote for the entire United for Change slate. Voting for me is good. But one person won’t cut it.
Your ballot was mailed out Friday. It will probably arrive today or Tuesday. It is in a bright colored envelope. Open it. Check off United for Change. And place it in the inner envelope. You are welcome to look inside, but voting for individuals instead of United for Change will diminish greatly the impact of your vote, and the message that it sends.
Do me a favor? Can you let me know that you voted? And I’d be delighted if you told me you had voted for me.
Jonathan
Ps, I’ve written recently about what we might do if we win. You might be interested:
https://jd2718.org/2022/04/10/what-if-we-united-for-change-wins-1/ (UFT Staff)
https://jd2718.org/2022/04/10/what-if-ufc-wins-2-medicare/ (medicare)
"Ramadan is a month-long observance by Muslims. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, so it changes in relation to the Gregorian calendar. In 2017, Ramadan begins on May 26th and ends on June 25th.. You can find the dates for future years here.
I thought a “The Best…” list would be useful to share resources on this observance that would be accessible to English Language Learners.
You might also be interested in The Best Websites To Learn About Various Religions & English.
Here are my choices for The Best Sites To Teach and Learn About Ramadan (and are accessible to English Language Learners):
The CBBC Newsround has a very accessible explanation of the month.
The History Channel has an extensive site on Ramadan, including multimedia.
Learn English, Feel Good has a cloze (fill-in-the-gap) exercise on the month..
Observing Ramadan is the title of the Boston Globe’s series of photos from its “Big Picture” feature.
How Ramadan Works comes from How Stuff Works.
The BBC has a slideshow on Ramadan: Worldwide.
The New York Times has a slideshow on Ramadan Begins In Jerusalem.
The Boston Globe’s Big Picture blog has just published a series of photos title Ramadan 2009.
“KiddyHouse” has a simple guide to Ramadan
ABC News has several online videos about Ramadan.
Ramadan around the world is a slideshow from the Guardian.
Here is a great collection of photos from The Boston Globe’s Big Picture about Ramadan 2010.
" ... For instance, the Virginia Slave Code of 1723 considered the assembly of five slaves an "unlawful and tumultuous meeting," convened to plot rebellion attempts. Every state in the South codified similar laws barring slave assemblages, which disparately impacted enslaved African Muslims observing the holy month.
Practicing Islam, therefore, and observing Ramadan and its fundamental rituals, for enslaved Muslims in antebellum America, necessitated the violation of slave codes. This exposed them to barbaric punishment, injury and, oftentimes, even death. However, the courage to observe the holy month while bonded, and in the face of grave risk, highlights the supreme piety of many enslaved Muslims. ... "
"For most Muslims, Ramadan conjures images of warm iftars, communal prayers, early morning and late-night gatherings with family and friends. This year, it's all different.
It’s a strange feeling to know these gatherings won’t happen because of the COVID-19 pandemic. To curb the spread of the virus, the holy sites of Masjid al-Haram and Masjid an-Nabawi, and masjid’s around the world have closed, just in time for Islam's holiest month.
It is believed that, during Ramadan, God revealed the Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). This year, the holy month starts around April 24, based on the Islamic lunar calendar. A young crescent moon lights the path for a clean slate. Every day, Muslims will fast from sunrise to sunset as an act of worship, putting daily distractions aside to build a better relationship with God. Whether Muslims are at a low or high point in their faith, many look forward to Ramadan for guidance. But this year, prayer may be clouded with thoughts of loved ones at risk of contracting COVID-19, in the hospital, or who have passed away. And, many will carry the weight of an uncertain financial future.
For believers, Ramadan is necessary to cleanse a worried mind and purify the heart, but how can we do that when we’re in isolation to avoid a virus ravaging our country, and the world?
To get around social-distancing restrictions, many are adopting digital worship techniques spiritual lectures via Zoom. At Roots, community space in Irving, Texas, directed by Ustadh AbdelRahman Murphy, several programs are running online every day. From lectures for teens to women’s study circles, programs have now shifted to Facebook, Instagram live, and Zoom calls.
“We have to remind ourselves of our blessings. Even if you have one hour, to reconnect with faith is a blessing. What if this happened if we didn’t have the internet?” says Murphy. “We have to adapt. The good thing about Islam is there are so many opportunities to do good. Spiritual moments can’t happen in chaos or when people are busy. This moment will give us more of a chance to reflect, and we may not get this chance again.”
To heighten rewards in Ramadan while social distancing, Murphy suggests doing good deeds like giving charity every day, calling your family, and cooking food for people.
On social media, the Yaqeen Institute in Dallas, a research institution founded by Sheikh Omar Suleiman, posts articles, infographics, and daily reminders of faith. It aims to equip Muslims with knowledge on how to deal with the pandemic gracefully. The point is to keep in touch with your faith, despite trials like coronavirus.
“We all are starting to go through different timelines in our head, and it can cause us great stress and anxiety. But, patience is about how you wait. Whatever we do in the midst of all of this is going to be rewarded and compensated accordingly,” Sheikh Suleiman said in a post. He encourages Muslims to focus on this moment because ‘with hardship comes ease.’ A soothing verse in the Qur’an that assures Muslims can find glimpses of relief through the pain.
While it will feel odd for many to worship digitally, without the large gathering's we're used to, the increased digital presence during Ramadan will make it more accessible for some, and more inclusive for others who have been worshiping in isolation for years. It’s a familiar feeling for black Muslims, Muslims who converted, are disabled, or identify as queer. Vee Sharma, a student at the University of Texas at Dallas, who converted nearly three years ago, says her Ramadans are typically lonely.
“My parents don’t allow me to fast and don’t let me leave in the evening for iftar. It sucks when I see people complaining on the timeline how Taraweeh ‘won’t be the same’ and ‘we can’t have our big iftars’,” Sharma says, “It’s an ignorance of the Ummah to neglect the fact that they at least have a family to celebrate with. But, Alhamdulillah.”
She thanks God; some Muslims have a privilege that others may not. Sharma encourages people to focus on that this Ramadan.
Still, the loss of ritual is always tough. Muttauf Khan, an artist, says he started preparing for Ramadan in January because of coronavirus.
“Isolation was implemented, so it threw all the prep off track,” he said. “There’s family and other distractions that draw me away from what I want to do. I was looking forward to devoting time to just being in the masjid, connecting and reflecting. Being confined to home makes that connection harder.”
Khan’s experience may be the case for several Muslims. However, some say the situation is a blessing in disguise. Maryam Baig, a mother and a UChicago student of Islamic studies, thinks that Muslims should take this time to reflect on the spiritual essence of Ramadan.
“As bittersweet as our situation is regarding the pandemic and social gatherings, I find comfort in knowing that perhaps like me, members of our community will take this opportunity to reflect on the blessings,” she said. “Without the distractions socializing causes, even if it is well-intentioned, from worshipping our Lord.”
Alhamdullilah, Ramadan is a serene occasion where you do as much good as you can. Solitary might be new, and it may be uncomfortable. Reacting with panic will counteract a harmoniously rejuvenating month; it’s essential to cement maturity. Be mindful of this alone time and considerately self-reflect. I pray we God-willingly come out of Ramadan grateful, with a better understanding of our existence. Ameen."
"Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, began this weekend for the 1.8 billion Muslims around the world. From sun-up to sundown, the physically able among them will fast — abstaining not just from food but also so much as a sip of water.
"[The pandemic] has touched home in many, many ways," Makram Nu'man El-Amin, an imam in Minneapolis, told NPR on Saturday.
"So just the idea of being able to come back together during this special month — the month of fasting, the month of reflection, the month of, you know, self-development and all of it, the month of being charitable, etc — all the things that we love to do, desire to do, we'll be able to do, at least in a greater measure than we have been over the past couple of years. So I'm just excited. And I'm so grateful for this moment."
In that respect, the true purpose of the month is discipline and dedication. The fast extends to more than food. Muslims are expected to practice how to avoid impure thoughts and deeds.
Ramadan provides a constant physical reminder of God, as well as a reminder of all the people in the world who don't have enough food or water. "It creates an impetus of both gratitude and charity," said Adeel Zeb — Muslim chaplain at The Claremont Colleges — in an interview with NPR in 2017 .
The month is centered on charity, worship, and developing empathy and connection to others. But there is also a strong communal aspect that's an essential part of the experience.
However, for the last two years as a pandemic raged, the coronavirus did away with many of those rituals. Gone were the big group dinners, the visits to the mosques, the early-morning runs to IHOP for pancakes before fasting begins — along with so many other beloved aspects of the month.
This year, many Muslims plan to resume the nightly gatherings, Iftar, where they can break their day-long fast together. Many are also looking forward to the communal tarawih prayers that follow the fast-breaking.
That's welcome news for adherents like Rizwan Ali.
"The worst part is just missing people, honestly," Ali, the imam of the Islamic Center of Naperville, Illinois, told NPR in 2020. "I was saying that, you know, after I was preparing for the prayers, I was making wudu [cleansing the body before prayers] in my house. And I was, like, you know, I never thought that I would miss the long lines in the mosque to make wudu and to prepare for the prayer. Well, those are the little things that you miss - the smiles, the faces. I can close my eyes and tell you where each person is sitting. And I'm missing all of those little experiences now."
Ramadan is a month that Muslims believe God revealed the Quran, Islam's holy text, to the Prophet Muhammad. It officially begins at the first sighting of the waxing crescent after the new moon, leading to different countries declaring its start a day or two apart. For most countries this year, it began Friday evening.
The month ends with Eid al-Fitr — a three-day celebration, a time to eat and drink and rejoice after a month of fasting and long nights of worship."
"Muslim children typically aren’t expected to fast during Ramadan until they reach puberty. But often kids will want to start earlier because they see everyone else abstaining from food and water from sunrise to sunset — followed by their community gathering to break their fast together — and they want to participate.
“I really wanted to get in on the fun,” said Raahim Sattar, who started fasting when he was around 7. He’s an 18-year-old Danville native currently learning Arabic at the Qalam seminary in Dallas. He has older twin brothers — and a competitive streak: “I was like, hey, maybe I can do it better than them.”
Fatima Amawi, a 16-year-old Muslim Youth of North America volunteer from Orlando, Fla., remembers getting a special cake during the Eid celebration after completing her first full fast at age 9.
“In this day and age, there are a lot of things that can really take your mind off of hunger,” she said. “I just read a book or watch a TV show.”
“It’s honestly up to the kids and up to the family what they want to do,” said Aisha Aslam, the acting principal of Orange Crescent School, a private school founded by the Islamic Society of Orange County.
Kids can start by fasting for a few hours, by skipping lunch or by fasting only on the weekends. Aslam’s oldest daughter Aceile Almutawa, 10, started doing “baby fasts” three years ago and gradually eased into a full fast.
Salma Rashad, 19, a Cal Poly Pomona student, remembers crying as a kid when her parents told her she was too young to fast. “So when I started, my mom would say, ‘OK, you can fast until 11 a.m.’ At that age, it’s like a challenge. I really really wanted to make it until 1 p.m., then 3 p.m.”
Muslim dieticians contacted by The Times generally agreed that you want to be careful with kids who are fasting. “The last thing we want is for them to be losing weight when they should be growing,” said Sumiya Khan, a registered dietitian and co-founder of Sanctuary Kitchen.
But at the same time, kids are resilient and they can gain a lot from participating in spiritual traditions, said Shamila Malik, a registered dietitian at Fresenius Medical Care North America.
Much of the health advice for adults also applies to kids. Balanced and nutritious meals — with a focus on protein, fiber, complex carbs and healthy fats — will give them more sustained energy and avoid sugar crashes. Khan recommends supplementing their Ramadan diet with multivitamins, “just to give a little bit of insurance.” Hydration during the times they can have water is crucial.
Aslam was surprised how her kids took to fasting pretty easily and didn’t appear to be overly exhausted. But each child is different, she said, and it’s important not to compare.
Sattar, who plans to study law after he finishes his studies at the seminary, encourages young people, especially kids who aren’t yet required to fast, to not be too hard on themselves. He recalls a time when he was supposed to be fasting and absentmindedly popped some of his friend’s Goldfish crackers into his mouth, panicked and found the nearest trash can to spit it out.
“An accidental snack is a gift from God,” he said. “Just enjoy it, think of it as a booster and finish your fast strong.”
Don’t push kids beyond their capacity, Malik said. “You don’t want them to associate Ramadan with anxiety or stress,” she said. “Create memories, do arts and crafts, decorate the home, and include them in food prep.”
That will also help distract them from feeling hungry, Aslam said.
Focus on the intention of Ramadan fasting. “Ramadan is meant to be a time of reflection, discipline and gratitude for our blessings,” Khan said. “And acknowledging that we are fortunate that we can break our fast with a beautiful meal with family and friends. Not everyone has that opportunity or privilege.”
While it’s important to monitor your kids, it’s also a good opportunity to teach them to pay attention to their bodies.
“Does their body need rest? Does their body need nutrition? It’s nice for kids to realize, ‘Right now, I’m hungry.’ ‘I think right now, I’m tired,’” she said. “So they know, ‘OK, let me sit down a little bit.’ ‘Let me drink some water.’”
Fatema Jivanjee-Shakir, a licensed clinical social worker who works at the Renfrew Center, recommends adults refrain from praising kids for not eating because it can lead to an unhealthy preoccupation with food.
Jivanjee-Shakir, who works with patients with eating disorders, also advises monitoring how young people — especially those going through puberty — are talking about their bodies and making sure that the practice of fasting is contained within the holy month.
Make sure kids understand that there are valid exemptions from fasting, including illness. Eating disorders are illnesses, Jivanjee-Shakir said.
“Islamic doctrine really encourages the protection of the body,” she said. “So if you’re protecting your body by not fasting because it harms your mental or physical health, then you are in fact honoring Islam and you are honoring the religion. It doesn’t make you a bad Muslim if you’re not able to fast.”
Ramadan was a big deal in Rashad’s house when she was a kid. She grew up in Chino Hills and attended Islamic private school. But when she started going to public school, she found that not a lot of kids knew about it.
So she’d invite her non-Muslim friends over to see the decorations — the lanterns and lights — and to break fast with her family. Her mom would jokingly compliment her on how she had “trained” all her friends to understand their culture.
Rashad, who started a Muslim youth mentorship program during the pandemic, said many of her mentees are nervous about fasting at school. She advises young people to find the other Muslims at their school, if possible. “That makes it a lot easier to fast when you have others there with you, to lift each other up,” she said.
But your supportive community is not limited to those who share your faith, she said. This is especially important for students who may not have that many Muslim classmates.
“A lot of youth, they tend to hear the horror stories, know the bullying and all the negative things that [happens to] our community,” she said. “But in reality, a lot of us at that age are very welcoming and accepting of all their friends.”
Abeer Shinnawi, a veteran middle school social studies teacher who is the program lead at Re-Imagining Migration, agreed and added that a trusted teacher can help too.
“If you’re too shy or don’t feel comfortable speaking, maybe have that teacher who can help you promote — if that’s what you want to do — or teach your peers,” Shinnawi said.
Help students create a schedule
It’s not just the fasting that makes Ramadan a challenge. Kids are also up before sunrise to eat. Then there are taraweeh prayers throughout the night — which are not required, but are an integral part of observing Ramadan in some families.
Rashad and Sattar said they ended up adjusting when they studied because it was hard to concentrate once they got more dehydrated in the afternoons.
Zakia Pathan, special education teacher at Discovery Charter School in San Jose, encourages teachers and parents to find ways to cut back on activities for their Muslim students during Ramadan if they can.
“It’s supposed to be a time where you’re simplifying your life,” she said. “Being calm, spending time with myself and reflecting on who I am — that’s a big component about Ramadan. And sometimes we don’t give our kids a chance to do that.”
Ask teachers and coaches for accommodations
Here are some that can help students who are fasting:
- Options for P.E. and sports: Some students will have the stamina to participate while fasting, but others will need to take a break or do lighter versions of the activities. Watch for dehydration and exhaustion.
- Options for other places to go during lunch break: Some kids might want to sit with their friends, even if they’re not eating, because they think the time passes faster, said Sawsan Jaber, a high school English teacher at East Leyden High School in Illinois. Others may want to rest, nap, pray in private or work on homework in the library, a career center or a classroom.
- Flexibility with homework and exams: A lighter homework load or the ability to make up tests could be helpful. “It helps if teachers can be empathetic and understand sometimes the kids’ stamina might not be there or they might not be able to fully engage in the way they normally do,” Jaber said.
Why it’s important to be proactive, not just reactive
Amina Shahid, who teaches English at Miller Middle School in Cupertino, Calif., recently polled her Muslim students and found that a lot of the kids didn’t tell their non-Muslim teachers that they were observing Ramadan.
“They feel like their teachers don’t know what it is and then they feel awkward telling them they need accommodations,” she said. “Or they’ll feel nervous about having to make up tests or make up the mile run in P.E., so they’ll just do it even though they are fasting.”
Jaber said it’s important to recognize that many students — and possibly their parents too — will need help advocating for themselves.
“My parents are Palestinian refugees,” said Jaber, who also consults about how to create more equity for students of color through Education Unfiltered. “So their experience growing up was so different from mine that even if they wanted to be my advocate [at school] or if they wanted to be involved in my education, no one ever gave them those tools to be able to partake. So a lot of our children today may not have the support for a variety of different reasons.”
Use the month as an opportunity to teach
“There’s over 2 billion Muslims around the world who are celebrating and commemorating at this time,” said Maimona Afzal Berta, a school board member in the San Jose area who became the first hijabi Muslim elected to office in California in 2018.
One reason she ran for office is that her classroom — at a school in a diverse neighborhood — was vandalized with hate speech shortly after Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. That was a wake-up call.
“It’s important to have some level of understanding, just like you would want for Christmas or Easter,” she said.
Administrators can also send all-staff emails reminding their school community about Ramadan and offering ways they can help. Jaber penned an open letter to educators about Ramadan that’s been widely shared. Educators can also download a free poster about accommodating Muslim students during Ramadan, written by Aya Khalil and illustrated by Huda Fahmy.
Though some students, like Rashad, will jump at the chance to teach their peers about Ramadan, Jaber cautioned against putting Muslim students on the spot.
Talk to a student and their family privately first, Pathan said. You don’t want to make assumptions. But, “if the child is willing, or if the family is willing to share, that’s a great way to introduce it into your classroom,” she said.
Thomas Cendejas — who teaches religion at Loyola High School in Pico-Union — remembered a year when the students at his all-boys Roman Catholic school were excited to learn about food for Eid al-Fitr. At the end of Ramadan, a Muslim student’s parents brought in pastries for the entire classroom to share.
“They’re learning how to be sensitive to various traditions, and it’s nice when it comes up in natural and organic ways,” he said.
Rashad encourages her mentees to be open to answering questions. “I know a lot of other Muslims would say the opposite,” she said. “They’d say, ‘No, I’m fasting. I don’t want to deal with questions.’ But I honestly think answering those questions from the start clears up so many misconceptions, and it makes it easier in the long run.”
“Don’t be embarrassed,” she added. “Part of your identity is your religion. It’s something that you can own.”
