Thoughts on Islam project

Although our Islam projects were relatively a while ago, here are some thoughts that I had on mine:

Although Islamic culture has always interested me, I had not previously studied the details of the culture and religion. It was very interesting to be able to study some those aspects through personal experience, namely the fasting for Ramadan and abstaining from pork and pork products.

Throughout the Islamic calendar month of Ramadan, Muslims fast each day from dawn to dusk. The principle of fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam (Sawm). For part of my project I decided to fast for a few days, by the standards of the Ramadan fast. Fasting from dawn to dusk was not quite as difficult as I previously imagined, although I can’t even comprehend trying to fast throughout the entire month. I did, however, gain some insight into the positive side of fasting.

Fasting, in that way, becomes a disciplinary tool for both your body (abstention from food/drink) and your mind. It can also become a useful tool for managing your anger. During this fasting period, Muslims are also expected to put more effort into refraining from impatience. This can be a very difficult thing to accomplish in normal circumstances, and is only magnified by hunger and thirst. Being able to fast throughout the entire month is a vast testament of their religious devotion.

The other component of my project was abstaining from pork and pork products. Abstaining form pork is outlined in the Qu'ran: "Forbidden to you for (food) are: meat, and the flesh of the swine and that which hath been invoked the name other than Allah.” It is also a medically sound principle. Pigs are often times carriers of parasites and diseases because of their indifference to their food source.

Refraining from pork in and of itself was very difficult because I did have to abstain from common things such as pork roast for Sunday dinner, and bacon for breakfast. This gave me some insight (on a smaller scale) into what Muslims deal with every day. The abstention of pork products, however, was not very cumbersome. This is because lard, which showed up in many foods (Oreos, Twinkies, Hostess pies, etc.) is no longer used because of its high concentration of fat.

In conclusion, this project was very beneficial to me in learning and experiencing at least a small portion of the Islamic culture. It was fascinating to be able to gain the additional insight into the beliefs in the Islamic faith, and I am eager to share my experiences with others.