You may have that one Muslim friend who, for the past month, postponed a coffee date, turned down that bubble gum and avoided the cafeteria. Yes, these are the symptoms of the holy season of Ramadan, during which more than one billion Muslims unite around the world to devote one month to fasting from sunrise to sunset, including your fellow classmates.
The act of fasting is so visible to the majority of people that they often mistake it as the main purpose behind Ramadan. The truth is there is so much more meaning to Ramadan than just the physical act of fasting, especially for those of us Muslims living in Western society.
For example, with all the money one would save from cutting back on groceries, going to restaurants, and not buying that daily coffee, a portion of this money has to go to some form of charity. All young and old do this, and this instills a great value of giving back to the community. This immediately humbles all Muslims. It’s a constant reminder of how lucky we are to have all the food in our fridge, readily available to satisfy our midnight hunger. It is important to remain humble especially for those of us who live in a materialistic culture supported by the capitalist economy.