How many of you have this (or variants of this) conversation every Ramadan :

“Would you like some lunch/a drink/food?”

“No, thanks.”

“Oh come on, you have to eat something.”

“I’m fasting.”

“What does that mean?” or “Is that because of your religion?”

“Well simply put, we don’t eat or drink during the day for 30 days.”

“You don’t eat or drink for 30 days?!!”

“No, we can eat and drink after the sun goes down. We fast from dawn till dusk.”

“Ok. But you can have water, right?”

“No water.”

“Not even water?? What happens if you’re in the desert? What happens if you’re working outside in this heat?”

“If you’re going to die or do yourself serious harm by fasting then it isn’t compulsory. That’s the simple version though It’s a little bit more complex than that.”

“Oh, man! I could never do that!”

Sound familiar?

« »