When you ask immigrants how they view Ramadan in America, you will not mistake the tinge of sadness in their response. "Ramadan has no flavour in the US," they complain, as they start to reminisce about the taste of the holy fasting month in their native countries. "I do not know what it is: no matter how long we live here, Ramadan will never be the same as in Egypt," said Mahmoud el-Hashash, an Egyptian living in the US. "I wish my children could experience Ramadan in Egypt and enjoy it as much as I did when I was a kid. It just has no flavour here," added el-Hashash, a professor of mathematics at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts in an e-mail he sent to the Egyptian Mail. Ramadan is a momentous month for Muslims living in the US. They like to eat iftar (the fast-breaking meal) and sohour (the pre-dawn meal before fasting recommences) together, as well as saying the Taraweeh (extra night prayers) together. The fact, however, is that immigrants always experience difficulty adjusting to life in the new country. They constantly idealise the social and cultural life they leave behind: friends, celebrations, the food and everything that they had enjoyed ‘back home'. Their children, who might not have experienced Ramadan in Islamic countries grow their own memories, and many savour them. "This is an occasions for American Muslims to make new friends and to invite non-Muslims to visit them and learn about Islam," says Ahmed Zedan, an Egyptian assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders, Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, MA, US. "Every day of Ramadan, people break the fast after sunset. They eat a few dates and drink a little bit of milk, pray the fourth prayer [Maghrib], and then go back to the dining room to have a meal called iftar,” he adds in remarks to this newspaper. "After the meal, they have hot tea and desserts and chat with friends. Kids go to the playgrounds and play sports and make up their own games. Afterwards the esha prayers start, followed by the Taraweeh prayers, which last nearly one hour," he explains. "In the summer, people start going home after 11pm to snatch a few hours of sleep before sohour, the meal they have to prepare for the next day of fasting. The timing of sohour depends on people's working hours; some have it around midnight and others before dawn." Zedan adds that, in the holy month, many Islamic centres invite a religious scholar from Al-Azhar to lead the Taraweeh prayers. The Imam recites one thirtieth of the Holy Qur'an, so that by the end of Ramadan the entire Qur'an will have been completed. "Working hours pose many challenges for American Muslims, because businesses and institutions where people work do not modify their hours for Ramadan. "In addition, Muslims might face questions about Ramadan and the reason Muslims fast, etc. Most non-Muslim Americans are amazed when they learn about how rigorous fasting is," according to Zedan. The Islamic community is vibrant and extremely diverse. American Muslims come from all over the world. Most of them, however, have come from Pakistan, India, Syria, Egypt, Somalia, Palestine, Lebanon, Morocco and Algeria. Social and cultural differences in the US have made the mosque the centre of life for most American Muslims, especially those who live near one. Hence, mosques are established to serve as houses of worship and also social and cultural centres. Most mosques are open twenty-four hours a day and provide social services such as marriage counselling and counselling about Islamic matters. "American Muslims have invested a lot of effort and money in building and maintaining Islamic centres, because there are no governmental subsidies or support of any kind. Community members vote to elect a board of trustees," stressed Professor el-Hashash. "Responsibilities of this board include hiring an Imam and a maintenance crew, organising celebrations for Eid el-Fitr and Eid el-Adha [the Lesser and Greater Bairams], as well as running ongoing social events, organising the Hajj [Major pilgrimage] and Omra [Lesser Pilgrimage] trips to Mecca. "Other major responsibilities of the board include organising outreach programmes to inform non-Muslims about Islam and Muslims, as well as inter-faith events, which involve working with Christian and Jewish leaders to reduce the number of hate crimes and overcoming prejudice and religious discrimination. These boards ensure the survival and continued growth of the Muslim community," he added. The influence of Muslims as a political and social force has been growing fast since 2001. Politicians running for presidential elections have courted the Muslim vote. Locally, at the state level, gubernatorial candidates visit Islamic centres to address Muslims and solicit their votes. Last May, Governor Deval Patrick of the State of Massachusetts visited the Islamic Society of Boston and its Community Centre. Patrick pledged to fulfill all requests Muslims made for improving their conditions in the state. The same happens in other states with a substantial Muslim population (e.g. New York, New Jersey and Michigan). The religion itself is acknowledged in the public media, whenever Christianity and Judaism are mentioned. Likewise, Islamic holidays have become more and more recognised. "Out of the holy month of Ramadan, the Muslim individual who is fortunate enough to be close to an Islamic centre views the mosque as a second home. "He or she goes there to pray, socialise with friends and meet new people. Usually, Friday and Saturday nights are the preferred nights for social events, because that's when most people have their weekend," says Zedan. "After the Friday prayers, people hang around to talk to friends. Many people buy hot lunch, served at the centre at a nominal price to benefit the centre,” he explains. "The Islamic centres in the State of Massachusetts [such as the Islamic Centre of New England and Islamic Society of Boston] hold a weekly event called halaqa [a group for sharing knowledge]. "People arrive a half an hour before sunset, have a group dinner inside the mosque, socialise for a while, perform the Maghrib [the fourth prayer] and then form a circle to listen to a one-hour lecture on a given topic.” According to Zedan, topics are geared towards informing people about all aspects of life, including religious matters, current political issues, their rights as American citizens, how to bring up their children as good Muslims, etc. "Children under eight years of age go to a babysitting area where two adults or teenagers read to them or engage them in various play activities. Children over eight either go the basketball court to play or attend the lecture, if they choose." Following the lecture people perform the fifth prayer (esha) and start to leave. The centres also organise sports and camping events for young people, community food festivals and community barbeques. The exact number of Muslims in the United States is not known. This is because religion is not recorded in the official documents of identification. What makes it even harder is that each year tens of thousands of Americans convert to Islam, and many new immigrants arrive each year. During his speech at Cairo University in June last year, President Obama stated that there were nearly 7 million Muslims in the US. This is also the estimate reached by the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). As of 2009, there were 1,209 mosques/Islamic centres in America, with the largest being in Dearborn, Michigan. American law requires all businesses and institutions to give Muslims the two Islamic holidays off, which means most Muslims are able to spend the entire day Eid el-Fitr with their families. American Muslims have tried to make the best of their celebrations in a country where they are a minority. They band together to obtain support for their families and others. They collect small donations and build magnificent Islamic centres that serve as second homes for members of the community. They build infrastructures and work hard to ensure a bright social and political future for their children and for themselves. The growing social and political recognition of Muslims in America has made it easier for them to practise their faith and to celebrate their holidays.
