Aysa Markazi

Another year, another Ramadan, another wave of confusion. Many know of the celebration, but little know about it.

“It [Ramadan] is once a year and it’s considered the holiest month of the year for Muslims,” junior Mahad Mahmou said. “It is believed to be the month that the Quran, the holy book for Muslims, is revealed for the first time.”

Ramadan is celebrated differently by each family and culture. 

“For sehri, which is a really early breakfast, we all go to IHOP and we all stuff ourselves, it’s great,” junior Mishal Zaidi said. 

Fixed on the foreign concept of fasting, many Americans find it difficult to understand the significance of Ramadan and its purpose.

“The true essence is purifying one’s soul by staying away from all bad, for example, bad language,” Mahmou said.

Sophomore, Zehra Naqvi, further elaborates on the significance of Ramadan. 

“It is a month of self reflection and cleansing, both mentally and physically,” Naqvi said. “It is a month to stray away from sin, bad deeds and become closer to your religion and yourself.”

To further explain Ramadan muslim students explain misunderstandings.

“A misunderstanding people have about Ramadan is that we can’t eat or drink for 30 days,” Mishal Zaidi said.

However, that is simply not possible. During Ramadan you cannot eat from sunrise to sunset. Every year and day, the timing is different depending on when sunrise and sunset are. 

People are also surprised by the fasting requirements of Ramadan. 

“People get shocked about the fact that you can’t drink water,” junior Parmida Moham said. “Yeah, we can’t, but it’s about being reminded of the importance of food and being grateful for it because not everyone has food to eat.” 

Every cultural celebration is important and should be thoroughly understood, as the purpose of diversity is to gain broader perspectives about  the culture and experiences around us. If there are other cultural or religious events you want us to cover please fill out this form.