EVERY YEAR DURING the Islamic Holy month of Ramadan, Muslims that are able are required to fast between sunrise and sunset.
For Muslims in Europe, Ramadan can be particularly tough due to the summer heat and the long daylight hours. Muslims can end up fasting for up to 19 hours during the summer months.
We spoke to young Irish Muslims about Ramadan at the Under One Tent intercultural event at St Patrick’s Park that sees all communities invited to break fast and engage in intercultural discussions.
Hadi (21) told us that it can be “a very long day and you do feel hungry occasionally.” But due his fasting for Ramadan since he was six-year-old, he said that you become used to it and can learn to do without food and water for the long summer days.
Writing for the Journal in 2016, Mohammed Rahman said fasting can be healthy for you as it “teaches you how to manage cravings and not give in to them”.
This frame of mind helped Rahman with quitting cigarettes when he decided to ditch them two weeks before Ramadan,
“I had cravings for cigarettes for the first couple of weeks, but since Ramadan has started I have not wanted a cigarette,” he told TheJournal.ie at the time.
Anas (20) who was attending the Under One Tent event said that Ramadan is also a good time to work on yourself and become a better person.
“You have to give back to those less fortunate than you are,” he told us. “Giving donations and helping those in need in different countries like Syria or Yemen, or the homeless here in Ireland.”
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