“It’s not that hard, I’ve got experience, I’ve been doing it since I was 12 years old,” North Carolina State University’s Mohamed Diarra said in an interview with CBS. “I’ve played sports all my life and playing with no food in my stomach is just a mindset.”

As the Wolfpack made it to the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, the spotlight was often on Diarra as he observed Ramadan despite the demands of his sport. While Diarra serves as a national example of the dedication of many Muslim athletes and students, here at Jefferson, our Muslim students live out the same balance.

Ramadan is a month-long Muslim holiday that is a time of spirituality and peace in the Islamic calendar. A crucial part of this celebration is abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, which represents empathy for those less fortunate and prioritizes faith over individual wants. For Jefferson students observing the holiday, Ramadan serves as a way to practice dedication to their faith amongst the demands of school and family duties.

“I don’t feel hungry or thirsty or anything at all. It’s honestly the most relaxing experience,” junior Olaa Elgamri said. “In our lives and our religion, we say that the devils are gone and everything is supposed to be sinless. Everything is chill and peaceful and that’s what it feels like. That’s how everything actually is.”

As Muslim students continue to balance Ramadan with the stresses of school, acknowledgment from teachers that Ramadan is being observed goes a long way.

“I think, from a student’s point of view, it’s helpful when your teachers are aware that you’re fasting,” senior Zarif Azher said. “Even if they don’t actively give you an advantage, they’re just aware, so they know to be a little bit more mindful about what you might be going through.”

Being weaker throughout the day also results in students having to decide the magnitude to which the activity matters. If they decide to continue a sport, for example, most students recognize that they participate of their own volition.

“I am weaker physically, and it’s hard to admit that, especially when I was in a competitive sport where people had to participate if they wanted to play in the game,” junior Zahra Hashemi said. “Part of [this] is giving up things that weren’t necessary. I didn’t have to play all the time. I just did it because it was a selfish want.”

Beyond fasting during Ramadan, individuals also pray regularly, often five times throughout the day. Jefferson accommodated this by having a prayer room located in room 104, though in previous years it was more difficult to access.

“Last year, there was no organized prayer room, and the one room that was designated to sometimes be used was often locked and not accessible,” Azher said. “This year they made an effort to make the prayer room open, and I can definitely see that and I appreciate it. I know that other Muslim students appreciate it as well.”

Some students settle to pray in other areas of the school, as long as they can find an area that is quiet and separated.

“Even during school hours, I go to a certain area of the school where I get to pray in silence. It’s just peaceful to me,” Elgamri said. “I believe in God being in nature, so I try to get outside as much as I can. I do my homework outside if I can. Being Muslim is important to me.”

Community and support from friends is something that helps students get through fasting during Ramadan, regardless of if those friends observe Ramadan themselves or not. By abstaining from food and drink the whole day, Ramadan is a month for Muslims to practice gratitude and a time of spirituality by putting aside selfish wants.

“You empathize with people [who] don’t have enough food regularly and you are able to see the temporariness of it all,” Hashemi said. “You’re supposed to stop doing things that are seen as selfish or bad habits and stuff like that. You also feel closer spiritually just because you’re doing this thing for a being that’s important to you.”

Hanging out with friends who are also fasting can make the process easier.

“During spring break, I got a bunch of my friends and we fasted the entire day. It was fun because [when] you’re doing [it] with a group it’s more enjoyable,” Elgamri said. “Something that you should experience at least once in your life is to eat or hang out with one of your Muslim friends. I feel like everyone has [to] experience[this] at least once in their life.”

Ramadan also stresses the importance of family and serves as a way for community members to come together whether through prayer or other festivities.

“My mom and I go a little crazy and start decorating. We made a mosque area in our house where on weekends we pray all five prayers together,” Elgamri said. “We have a countdown for Eid. It’s cute.”

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the month-long fast during Ramadan, typically lasting for three days. It includes a community-wide prayer in the morning followed by a large meal with friends and family.

“One thing we always have is bread. In Sudan we call it ‘fatira’ and you stuff it with either cheese or meat or whatever you want. We also have something called ‘lugma,’ which is like a yogurt with sauce around it. It’s really good,” Elgamri said. “It’s always different but we never eat outside food during Ramadan. [It’s] always home-cooked.”

The 2023-2024 calendar year marked the first time students were off, allowing them to celebrate without missing school or falling behind on assignments.

“In past years, there’s a test or some sort of assignment to be working on during Eid when you’d normally be gathered with your family outside of school and going to prayer or going to eat together,” Azher said. “This year FCPS acknowledged that Eid is something that people need time off for. It’s been great because now I know I can celebrate with my family kind of without as many obstacles.”