Ramadan Chapter 1

Here's a basic primer for those of you who do not know what Ramadan is. I'm not an expert by any means, but I've asked lots of questions and done some research since I've been in Morocco and this is pretty much what I've come up with:

There are five pillars in Islam; five things that all Muslims must do to be good Muslims. The are to go on Hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in a lifetime), pray 5 times a day, declare there is only one god and Mohammed is his prophet, donate 2.5% of their total wealth to charity every year, and fast (and observe other rules) during the month of Ramadan. Because the Islamic calendar is based on lunar cycles, the time for Ramadan changes each year and this year it falls during the month of September. Currently, the exact date of Ramadan's commencement is uncertain; it is up to a group of religious scholars and scientists to determine the exact cycle of the moon before they announce the beginning of Ramadan. However, most likely it will be this Monday, September 1. I know it's already been announced in some other countries, but here in Morocco, we're still waiting for word, as of this morning, for when the fast will begin.

During the month of Ramadan, every Muslim who is able bodied, past the age of puberty and not traveling, must fast from sun-up to sun-down. This includes no eating, drinking or sexual relations. In addition, Muslims are supposed to try even more than usual to avoid bad thoughts, fighting, gossiping and other negatively associated behaviors.

It seems that, here in Morocco, even non-devout Muslims tend to participate in the fast during Ramadan. I've met a lot of people who smoke or drink or do not pray regularly, who have told me that they always fast during Ramadan. I, too, plan to fast while I'm here because I want to experience this phenomenon and hopefully be able to better understand Islamic culture better in the process. I'm looking forward to the sense of oneness that comes with participating in such a grand scale activity. Not only will the people in my immediate surroundings be experiencing the same kinds of things as me, but people all over the world will be doing so as well. I think that's pretty cool. However, I'll probably think it's less cool when I'm sitting in class, really thirsty, staring out the window, willing the sun to set so I can drink. But, we'll see. For now, my plan is to fast.