fasting in U.S

 Fasting in the U.S 

Culture varies from person to person depending on their geographical location. However, not all Americans understand the purpose of why Muslims fast. Muslims follow an Islamic ritual in which they do not eat from sunrise to sunset for a month. The start of this holy month is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. When I was a child, I used to be excited about Ramadan because it was when the family would gather and enjoy the month together. Ramadan is very important ritual month in Jordan. This month consists of a lot of traditions and celebrations that take place at nighttime, and at the same time requires you to worship in a mosque and fast all day without a drop of water or food which becomes a lot more different and difficult while being in the U.S.A.  

Ramadan nights are what I miss while being in the United States. This is one of the reasons that the thing cannot feel the way we felt back at Jordan. During this holy month, I have many things to celebrate and appreciate. I concentrate on showing respect to my family and loved ones. In Jordan, people in my community do things like breaking their fast, praying together, and mingling with friends and family. After breaking our fast together, the whole family goes to pray at the mosque; then we go back to our house to gather, talk, smoke hookah, and eat our last celebratory meal together before my family and I fast again. Then, we repeat the process daily. Since I am here only with my siblings, I do not feel like I am spiritually connected  

In addition, worship at the mosque is the most important thing during Ramadan. This religious month is a Muslim’s way to get closer to Allah ‘God’ and break any bad habits. In the U.S., there are not many of mosques compared to Jordan. In Jordan, there is a local mosque in every neighborhood, which made it easy for me to do my prayers in Ramadan. The call to prayer on loudspeakers is a beautiful feeling that I have never experienced in the United States because mosques here are not allowed to do it for some reason. The last ten days of Ramadan are so important because of Laylat al-Qadr. This is one of the nights in the last ten days, and whoever prays and finds the ‘Laylat al-Qadr’ will have their previous sins wiped clean. In Jordan, I went to the mosque after breaking my fast until I am fasted again. These nights are blessing nights, and one of them is the night where God clears all Muslims sins and accepts all their prayers. In the United States, it is difficult to do that due to the small Islamic community, so I end up doing it with my small family.  

Besides worshiping at the mosque, I never imagined that fasting in Chicago would be a much more difficult experience than I have in Jordan. It is hard to stay focused in the workspace while fasting because, without food, I have less energy, while I must keep up the same energy as my American co-workers. Furthermore, I frequently work past iftar (the meal Muslims eat to break their fast), so I only break my fast with water until after work, which can take hours at times. However, usually during Ramadan in Jordan I go to sleep later and wake up earlier, but in Chicago, I go to sleep early and wake up early due to work, so this means I do not eat much each day and brings my energy levels low  and I am still expected to act like all the Americans who are not fasting at work 

Ramadan is what lost in translation for me. I really love spending it in my home country, Jordan. For me, I wish to spend Ramadan with my family and feel the happy vibes again and enjoy the feeling of being at home. Also, worshiping at the mosque with so many people is different from worshiping in my house with my small family in the United States. However, fasting while everyone around me is fasting feels different because it makes it easier for me to fast. Moreover, I would say cultural differences can bring about the changes that a person from a different country can only experience.