Zara Marvi

Zara Marvi

Discovering Muslim Americans During Ramadan

Last year, the month of Ramadan fell between July 31 and August 31, 2011. During this month, two Muslim Americans, Aman Ali and Bassam Tariq, traveled across the United States while fasting to “tell authentic stories about Muslims” and to “show what Muslim Americans and their lifestyles are like” over a span of 30 days in 30 states. On each day of the month, Ali and Tariq, stopped in one state and one mosque to break their fast, talking to the local Muslim communities. They documented their journey through a blog, which can be found here: http://30mosques.com/

The BBC posted an article and video on their website looking at aspects of Ali and Tariq’s 30 day journey. The article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14731025 and video: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14598842

Sawm (fasting) is the fourth pillar of Islam and is practiced during the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The month is of importance as this was the time during which the revelation of the Qur’an to the Prophet began. Throughout the month, Muslims are required to fast and are to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual activity, in order to focus on prayer and reflection. Fasting occurs from sunrise and fasts are broken after sunset.

The article pertaining to the journey looks at the diverse nature of American Muslims. It discusses the various differences and controversies within various Islamic communities that may not be known to the larger Muslim population and even to Americans. It gives somewhat of an insight into the way in which Ramadan is observed within these communities. There are specific topics that are addressed within this article that relate to stories about converts to Islam, homosexuality, and perspective of women. A major theme that these stories share is a greater sense of faith and reflection, one of the main purpose of fasting during Ramadan. These stories also give a deeper understanding of the religion that may not be normally viewed by others.

I find that the stories within the article are not something that would be normally expected. These specific stories may be used to illustrate that American Muslims do not portray the stereotypes depicted by the West. Ali and Tariq’s travels throughout the country during Ramadan and the stories that were told in this article paint a diverse picture of how Islam is practiced and portrays American Muslims as individuals facing struggles with their identity and faith. Although it is not explicitly stated, there is a sense in which Ali and Tariq’s journey also conveys the importance of understanding and evaluating one’s faith. It may be that their decision to travel to different Muslim communities during Ramadan, the holiest month of the year, would allow them to gain a better appreciation and understanding of their own faith. The month of Ramadan is a significant time when Islamic communities come together to pray and celebrate and this would enable these men to get a broader perspective of Islam and Ramadan.