Zachary Rahman
As Ramadan continues through March, question after question gets thrown at Muslim students they practice the month of fasting. To combat the onslaught, I asked a few students what they commonly got asked during the month.
I interviewed a couple of students, including Club President Afsheen Shaw (11th Grade, SAS), at Desi Club– a club for South Asian students to get together and other students to learn about South Asian culture. As a fellow South Asian, my parents are from Bangladesh, not only did I interview my fellow Desis, I weighed in with my own thoughts.
What is something you get commonly asked during Ramadan?
“Most people just ask or are generally confused about what Ramadan is, or like how long you fast for, or what it is for..” Shaw told me as she leaned on one of the tables.
“Not even water?” Club Vice President Anniyah (11th Grade, Magnet) said in mock shock.
“You can’t drink water?” Club Go-er Mehzabin (10th Grade, SES) said with an eye roll as she sat in one of the chairs.
I wish I could provide a different question that I get asked, something slightly less surface-level, but alas, every question I’ve ever gotten was a variation of “No food??” or “No water??” or both.
How would you answer this question?
“Essentially, Ramadan is a holiday where you fast from sunrise to sunset. Through this fast, Muslims learn self-restraint–”
“We also pay attention to homeless people, as we help and feel sympathy for them,” Anniyah interjected.
“Yeah! The month is also a way for Muslims to feel closer to Allah,” Shaw continued.
Anniyah answered her question, “No, but it’s okay, it’s manageable.”
“People always look like I’m going to die without food for a few hours,” I commented.
“I know, right!?” Anniyah then spoke to me in Bangla about our parents being over-caring about food intact, talking through chuckles.
Mehzabin then answered, “Obviously not! It’s not like we’ll die without water.”
“And if it is deadly, you wouldn’t be fasting anyway,” I added.
“Right?!”
Why the commonalities?
The biggest reason we had this shared experience of being asked surface-level questions was lack of exposure. Most people will have heard of Ramadan in passing, or it getting covered minimally in social studies class. People who ask these questions genuinely know little to nothing about the holiday. And although it’s slightly annoying to be asked the same thing repeatedly, it’s good to answer honestly and earnestly, as it leads to more education. And as for non-Muslims who want to learn and ask more profound questions, we’d love to answer them!