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Community Corner

Peninsula Faithful Observe Ramadan

Month-long Muslim holiday engenders reflection, spirituality, self-discipline and empathy.

At home and around the world, yesterday commenced the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a time to consider one's character, strengthen bonds between loved ones, develop empathy for the destitute and grow closer to God.

Its timing is ever transitory, its character constant: Because Islam follows the lunar calendar, each year Ramadan comes 10 days earlier. Every third year, it moves back a month.

The Q’uran directs believers to abstain from food, drink and other sensory pleasures, beginning each day as soon as one "can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the daylight," and until darkness falls. The fast ends with a three-day festival called Id-al-Fitr.

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The 30 days of inner reflection and personal denial take place in the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, beginning at sunset after the first sighting of the new moon -- or, in these times of technological advancement, when calculations pinpoint the appearance of the new moon.

The Mosques closest to Millbrae are in South San FranciscoSan Mateo and Belmont.

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“Every year you want to improve yourself,” said Dian Alyan, outreach director for the Muslim Community Association of the Bay Area. “You nurture the feelings of oneness with God, and that informs everything.”

For much of Shahbazz’s life, Ramadan fell in the autumn months, when the fast shrinks to the size of the shorter days.

But no matter, he said: “Once you get into the habit, the time flies by,” he said. “I go to school, then in the afternoon, I go to work, then all of a sudden it’s time for the iftar,” or fast-breaking meal, which may include fruit, figs and communion.

Fasting (along with the declaration of faith, daily prayers, charity, and pilgrimage to Mecca) is one of the “five pillars” of Islam. Believers are encouraged to perform zakat, or donate to the needy.

“No talking bad, smelling bad, looking at bad,” said Khalid Sidiqqi of the Peninsula Muslim Center.

A virtuous Ramadan record can be undone by lying, slandering, denouncing people behind their back. But the most drastic offense is giving in to anger, Muslims say.

Ramadan is considered a good time to heal wounds and bridge differences, and to treasure time spent with family.

"In my country, it would be a real feast," Alyan said. "Everybody would be cooking."

But the Indonesian-born mother of two young sons and her Egyptian-born husband have adjusted to a faster pace of living: She cooked ahead enough dishes for four nights.

"We're all-Americans now," she said.

Local mosques , including Alyan's, host interfaith iftars. The public is invited to the Muslim Community Association's August 13 event.

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