Fasting for Ramadan at public school

by Alina Zafar, Special Writer
   A soda can sits on one of the countless benches in the school cafeteria, and the smell of pizza and french fries fills the air; you have entered a typical lunch period in South Brunswick High School.
   Even so, 16-year-old Taban Khan remains invulnerable to the sights and smells of the hour and attempts to ignore the slight hunger pangs — which pass from time to time — as she works to observe the obligated fasts of the holy month of Ramadan.
   Coming from a full-time Islamic school, Noor-Ul-Imam on Route 1 in South Brunswick, and surrounded by a school faculty that is sensitive to a student’s needs in terms of fasting and celebrating Islamic holidays, I was curious to know the way in which Muslims at public school make time for Ramadan, which began Sept. 1 and ended Oct. 1, and Eid-al-Fitr, which fell on Oct. 2.
   I asked how Taban managed to balance the need to fulfil her mandatory obligation as a Muslim (where fasting is mandatory) with educational requirements.
   ”I think that in public school, it is harder for Muslims because they have to fast and at the same time have to study more. For me, I had to e-mail all my teachers and let them know. It’s also really interesting because my teachers know about Ramadan and they let my parents know that if we have any problem we can tell them.”
   Salman Ahmed, a junior at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School, has had similar experiences. He says that he would “wait till after iftaar (the nightly meal to break fast) to begin schoolwork” because he works to put his time and effort into the one-month of fasting.
   Although Taban and Salman agree about their obligations to Ramadan, they handle the practicalities of the fast in separate ways. When asked if either was bothered by the pressures of dealing with peers who are able to eat and drink, Salman answered with a smile, “Yeah it bothers me a bit, especially when all your friends around you are eating. But I guess you learn how to fight the temptation, which makes the fast that more meaningful.”
   Taban appeared immune to lunchtime’s attraction.
   ”We have a choice whether to sit in the cafeteria or the library, so I spend my lunch hour there. People understand that I’m fasting and ask me questions about Ramadan.”
   Though the two handle their fasting in different ways, they still retain the key ideals that a Muslim’s fast is centered upon: the taqwa, or awareness of God and fulfillment of a religious obligation to him. The reason that Muslim students and adults alike, whether in an Islamic school or public school, keep the fast and allow their stomachs to growl on occasion is for no one else but Allah (God), whom they know to be always watching.
   As Ramadan has come to a definite close and the Eid al-Fitr holiday recently passed, I wondered how Salman and Taban were able to fully experience the celebrations when school was scheduled to be in session. Personally, having school on such an occasion is a novel idea due to the fact that Noor-Ul-Imam gives its students a substantial number of days of break during the holiday, and for there to be school on those days is unimaginable.
   ”Well, you don’t get holidays like in Noor-Ul-Iman,” said Taban. “Here, you have to let your teachers know in advance and take off. This year we actually got off two days because it was Rosh Hashana. But if we didn’t have those, then I would have definitely not gone to school. Plus, it’s your chance to go to prayer and meet your friends and family, and the teachers can understand that.”
   Salman confesses that had Rosh Hashana not fallen within the same days as Eid al-Fitr, it would have been a tough decision whether to skip school or to attend, as the workload the following day would have been a burden.
   The choices that these two students are forced to make are ones that echo in the minds of countless other Muslim teenagers across the country. Education plays an enormous role in the lives of many young adults today and although one missed school day may not make a significant difference, it may take away from the religious celebrations that are considered a blessed part of the holiday for Muslims. Although the obstacles of unfinished homework are likely to plague kids during the holiday, both Taban and Salman find that their Eid and Ramadan experience with family and friends was worth the struggle of missed lunches and test make-up days.
Alina Zafar is a student at Noor-Ul-Imam school in South Brunswick.