Deryl
Davis visited a Muslim family in Northern Virginia."NATIVE BEAN" GROUP: Ramadan is here -- fasting and not eating food, acting nice and not rude. Instead of watching movies today, let's go to the masjid and pray.
DERYL DAVIS: It's a "Ramadan party" at a Muslim center in Sterling, Virginia. The participants are children, and they've gathered to prepare for the holiest month of the year.
Twelve-year-old Zaki al Barzinji is one of them.
ZAKI AL BARZINJI: Ramadan is the month in which was sent down the Koran as a guide to mankind.
AFEEFA SYEED: Ramadan is considered a visitor that comes once a year, so you open your doors and you let the visitor come in and basically take over your life.
DAVIS: Afeefa Syeed is Zaki's mother. She's organized this party to teach the children about the traditions of Ramadan, one of which is fasting [from] sunrise to sunset. It's required of Muslims past the age of puberty, but children are also encouraged to fast.
Traditionally, dates are used to break each day's fast at sundown.
Suhaib al Barzinji is Zaki's father. He says Ramadan is especially important for Muslim children in America.
SUHAIB AL BARZINJI: It's the only holiday that they can truly call their
own, that they can possess and sort of, you know, be proud that we are Muslims
and we have this month that's really unique to us."NATIVE BEAN" GROUP: So always be proud, you can say it loud. I'm proud to be down with the Muslim crowd. M-U-S-L-I-M.
DAVIS: American Muslims are aware of the attention they're likely to receive this Ramadan, and they say that's good. They want non-Muslims to understand what their faith is about and to recognize that a good Muslim can also be a good American.
Afeefa Syeed says recent events have made that more important.
MS. SYEED: Many of us felt we had to be defensive about Islam. Well, you know, we had to say, "No, Islam is not this. Islam is not that." But now we can say, "Okay, Islam is this." Ramadan gives us that opportunity.
DAVIS: Once Ramadan begins, a typical day for the al Barzinji family starts well before dawn. With pancakes and bagels to help him get started, seven-year-old Yusuf decides he'll try to fast today. Next come pre-dawn prayers. Muslims are expected to perform a cleansing ritual before they talk to God.
MR. AL BARZINJI: In Ramadan, there's this heightened awareness of being -- of having a relationship -- with God. For Muslims, prayer is the fundamental practice that you do everyday that reminds you of God.
The family reads the Koran as the day of fasting begins. They won't eat or drink
anything, including water, from sunrise to sunset. Sexual activity is also prohibited
during the same hours. But in other ways, Muslims lead their normal lives, going
to work or going to school.
ZAKI: The first few days it's kind of hard, but once you do it for a couple
of days, it's like routine, just as long as you get a good breakfast in the morning.
MS. SYEED: If you're not patient and persevere then you break your fast.
If you're not peaceful, if you don't have salaam, then you break your fast. If
someone comes and is upset with you or is angry with you and you react in an angry
way, you're breaking your fast.
MR. AL BARZINJI: In many of the prayers we do, we are always asking that
God help those who are suffering, that God provide for them, God take them out
of their misery, you know, and bless them.
