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The Fasting Project – Hopefully More Than Ramadan Tourism (List of Posts)

The Fasting Project – Hopefully More Than Ramadan Tourism (List of Posts)

Last updated on: July 24, 2013 at 12:39 am by Dilshad Ali

The Fasting Project – Hopefully More Than Ramadan Tourism (List of Posts) 2013-07-24T00:39:26-04:00 Dilshad Ali

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If you scroll social media, read the plethora of Ramadan pieces out there or even spend time talking with fellow fasting Muslims, the majority of what you hear about the fasting experience is positive – yes, it’s hard, but Alhumdullilah (thanks be to God), it is going well. You’ll hear jokes for sure about the difficulties of getting up for suhoor (the pre-dawn, pre-fasting) meal or the mundane difficulties of fasting. (Ramadan breath anyone?)

We Muslims also share a lot of quotes from the Quran and hadith or uplifting lectures from imams and scholars. We encourage each other to give, give, give to so many worthy causes. We spur each other on with reminders to make the most of the month, worship more, attend tarawih prayers, cut out the extraneous activities from our lives and turn inward towards Allah.

And behind the screens of our smartphones and computers, in our homes and in the daily activities of our real lives, we fast and pray and work and care for our families and zone out and cook and maybe watch a little Food Network, when that’s probably the worst thing to watch when you’re fasting. Sometimes we achieve that higher level of God-consciousness that Ramadan is meant to be, and sometimes we just aren’t feeling it (though we continue to fast and pray).

I offer these reflections as a way to provide a dose of reality to what Ramadan is, what it can be and when it isn’t all we want it to be. But we Muslims keep coming back to it – year after year – many of us with renewed intentions to not just be more religious for one month, but to ride the waves to a better life throughout the year.

It was with these thoughts in mind and with the curiosity that poured forth every year about Ramadan from my fellow editors and bloggers in other Patheos faith channels, that I set up the Fasting Project – where I invited other Patheos (not Muslim) writers to fast with Muslim Channel writers for Ramadan. Three bloggers eagerly jumped at the chance to fast and learn more:

Justin Whitaker, a Buddhist who writes the blog, An American Buddhist Perspective, paired up with Hind Makki who writes Hindtrospectives.

Erik Campano, who writes at Stories Untold on the News and Religion Channel, partnered with Umar Hakim, who writes Create-A-Voice.

And finally, Jamie Schwoerer, who writes Loving the Journey for the Spirituality Channel paired with Rabia Chaudry, who is a columnist at Altmuslim.

Here is a list of what Justin, Jamie and Erik have written about their experiences. There are more to come throughout Ramadan, and I will keep updating this post. It’s interesting – through reading about their experiences, I’ve gained a better understanding of what it takes to make Ramadan meaningful. (It’s the putting it into practice that is the challenging part.)

Sometimes you have to hear an outsider’s perspective to learn more about what is needed inside yourself.

Justin Whitaker from the Patheos Buddhist Channel:

Justin plans to fast three times in Ramadan.

Tiptoeing into Ramadan: A Buddhist’s Experience of Islam’s Holy Month

Exploring Discomfort: My First Day of Fasting for Ramadan

Reflections On My Observance of Ramadan

Jamie Schwoerer from the Patheos Spirituality Channel:

Jamie’s intention was to fast for five days in a row. But after two and a half days, she stopped fasting, having learned several things about herself, about fasting, why Muslims do what they do and what it means for her.

In Preparation of The Ramadan Fast

Reflections After Day One of My Ramadan Fast

My Challenge and My Failure

Erik Campano from the Patheos News & Religion Channel:

Check back in the next week for Erik’s blogs, as he plans to fast near the end of July.

Previous Post

July 19, 2013

An Autism Unbound from the Rituals of Ramadan

Next Post

July 26, 2013 Ingratitude in the Face of Gratitude - the Autism Oxymoron

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