4 Ways To Show Solidarity This Ramadan

Ask any Muslim about Ramadan, and their face will light up. It’s a season of renewed faith and community; days infused with prayer and bodies filled with the love of God rather than earthly bread or water — and it starts today. It’s a time, somewhat like Lent, when Muslims fast to show their love and obedience to the almighty. True, our fasting is much more stringent than those of our Christian friends during Lent, but the purpose and feeling behind it is similar.

Each year, the arrival of Ramadan arises a mixture of anticipation and worry in my heart. Anticipation because this is a month of extreme blessings, but also worry because fasting can be difficult —  headaches from caffeine withdrawal and irritability from a lack of sleep as we wake up in the early hours for breakfast and sleep late due to additional worship. This year, though, there is a stressor bigger than anything else I’ve ever felt: COVID-19.

Fasting may be an individual act of worship, but the reality is that it’s a community act as well. Millions of Muslims around the world get together in the evenings to break their fast together. In a normal world, mosques, community centers, and even streets would be filled with tables of food and people sitting together prayerfully, waiting for iftar. Then, many of them, if they’re Sunni Muslim, join together for special prayers called tarawih.

My family and I have always enjoyed communal meals and prayers at my local mosque, the Ahmadiyya Community in Houston. It’s a time of calm and quiet, of reciting the Quran, or listening to commentary of its verses by our imam. As the adults sit inside, we usually hear the laughter of our children outside — there’s a playground where my daughter sits on swings with her friends and a basketball cort where my son tries to shoot hoops with his friends. Neither of them are old enough to be fasting regularly, but they will tell you that Ramadan is the most fun time of the year. They look forward to going to the mosque every day, eating delicious Pakistani food, and spending time with friends.

All of this has instantly disappeared as a result of the pandemic. Instead of clustering in groups with friends, we are all six feet apart, alone in our homes. Mosques are closed, and iftar is to be spent at home in our sweatshirts and pajama bottoms. Fasting has always been such a community event for me, that the thought of spending it alone is unfathomable.

In years past, I’ve invited my non-Muslim friends and community members to visit my mosque for interfaith iftars. These were opportunities to discuss similarities in fasting across Muslim, Christian, and Jewish traditions, as well as chances to share food and friendship. Now, these interfaith events are impossible. But there are still ways to come together in friendship and solidarity for Muslims during COVID-19 Ramadan.

Here are four ways to show solidarity with your Muslim friends this Ramadan season: 

1. Check in with your Muslim friends or neighbors virtually. A phone call, a text, or a Facebook message, can really let them know you’re thinking of them. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or intrusive, just a quick hello will do. Anything to inform them that you know it’s Ramadan, and that you care.

2.  Learn more about fasting. If we cannot have the interfaith gatherings where we ask questions and learn about each other’s traditions, we can at least gain information on our own. Find out why Muslims fast and how this is an act of worship similar to other religions. In this world of misinformation and stereotypes, learning facts is imperative to build strong communities.

3. If you have a fasting friend or neighbor, consider dropping off a meal on their doorstep. This could be home cooked or takeout from a local restaurant. Although we have lost this tradition in the West, I remember meal sharing as a key part of Ramadan in my childhood. My grandmother would often cook extra iftar meals and I would go to our neighbor’s homes to drop off the small platters of sweet or savory delights.

4.  Support Muslim-owned food businesses. Ramadan is typically a very busy time for restaurants serving traditional South Asian or Middle Eastern cuisine. Many mosques and individuals order catering for iftar, but this year those orders will never come in. Order your evening dinner from them to keep them afloat and let them know you are happy to have them in your community.

My family and I will spend a very different Ramadan this year. It will be a month spent in reflection and prayer, hoping for a time when things can resume to normal, when I can hug my friends, and visit my mosque again. In the meantime, Happy Ramadan!