Behind Veil Of Ramadan Inland Northwest Muslims Embrace The Holy Days, A Time Of Worship And Sacrifice

They’ll be surrounded by food - sandwiches in the school cafeteria, cookies and snacks during breaks.

The Shah sisters will be hungry, but the two will refuse to eat.

From sunrise until sunset, for the next 26 days, the two teenagers will abstain from all food and drink. Not even water is allowed.

Like other Muslims, they’re fasting to observe Ramadan, the monthlong celebration of God’s revelation of the Koran - Islam’s holy book - to the Prophet Mohammad. It’s a time for self-sacrifice: Muslims can’t eat, drink, smoke, have sex or even listen to music during daylight hours.

“It’s hard to fast because everyone’s eating and you can’t,” 13-year-old Yaismeen Shah said Tuesday, the eve of Ramadan.

“It wears you out, but you get used to it,” added her 15-year-old sister, Jahanarha Shah.

They do it as a gift to Allah, or God. The act of fasting, along with praying, teaches them discipline and generosity, said their mother, Naseem Shah.

“Fasting cleanses you,” she said. “It helps you control yourself and makes you aware of the suffering that poor people feel.”

For each night of Ramadan, Muslims also say additional prayers.

Besides the five times they pray each day, they also come to the Spokane Islamic Center for taraweeh, a special service where the Koran is recited by a person who has memorized the book. Here, Spokane’s Muslim population of about 300 worships in separate rooms for men and women.

“Asalam-mul-alaikum (Peace be with you),” the women whispered as they entered the mosque Tuesday, bowing their heads and removing their shoes.

About a dozen stood at the center of the room, their heads covered with veils. The chanting of male voices rang from a speaker on top of the fireplace mantle.

For two hours, the women repeatedly stood, knelt, laid prostrate on the ground - palms, knees, forehead, the tip of the nose against the blue-green carpet. The men did the same in another room.

Ramadan is also the time of year when Muslims pay zakah, or alms, to the poor. Those who can afford it give at least 2 percent of their assets to the less fortunate.

“Islam is a way of life,” explained Shagufta Pittel, a native of India and a member of the Spokane Islamic Center.

Ramadan falls on the ninth month of the lunar calendar. It ends with Eid-ul-Fitr, a celebration similar to Christmas for Christians and Rosh Hashana for Jews. Sometimes, Ramadan takes place during summer months, when the daylight hours - and the fast - last longer.

Children don’t have to fast. Pregnant women and sick people also are not obligated.

But for most adults, fasting becomes almost second nature. “Going without food makes me feel so vital and alive,” said Julee Iman Karns, who converted from Catholicism to Islam eight years ago. “It’s a spiritual celebration.”

Kamal Abuluae Benlitifah wakes up each morning at 5 to pray. For breakfast during the month of Ramadan, he drinks a glass of milk and eats dates, the food prescribed by the Prophet Mohammad.

“You don’t feel like you’re giving up pleasure,” he said. “It’s for the sake of God, so you don’t feel hungry or thirsty or tired. It’s worship.”

But it’s harder for those who work as manual laborers and young people who are surrounded by those who don’t understand their faith.

In their native Kashmir, many people fast and follow the laws of Islam, Naseem Shah said. Fasting is actually one of Islam’s five pillars, or central beliefs.

But in Spokane, not everyone understands why they abstain from food. “How can you do that?” people ask the Shahs. “How can you go all day without eating?”

The Shah sisters started learning to fast when they were 3 years old. Their 8-year-old sister, Nasreen, fasts for about half a day during the month of Ramadan.

To take their minds off their hunger, the Shah sisters sometimes spend their lunch periods in the library, where they read or play games on the computer.

When the sun sets, they break the fast by eating dates, followed by a huge meal.

“You feel good inside,” said Jahanarha Shah. “You feel closer to Allah.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo