During Ramadan, Muslims all over the world fast from sun-up to sun-down as a way of setting aside the cares of the physical body, and they read and study the Quran. They consider whether they live their lives based on the spiritual teachings.
Islam teaches the principles of equality, Crisis in the Family, standing in protest when someone does not stand on the principles. Over the course of the "semester," our focus is on all of these, too, but shifts from reflections on tolerance and empowerment to the principles of creating a plan that benefits everyone.
How many times do you do something that is not something you are proud of doing? Just this weekend, I said something that at the time seemed appropriate, but others took offense at what I said and may have inferred. I didn't like what I had done. It made me uneasy. It made me question why I did it and how I could to find a sense of balance again in the relationships and within my own self. This is what the first focus is during the month of Ramadan.
Everyone does things that we are ashamed of, and there is no need to punish ourselves for doing so. When others do this, rather than judge them and stand in protest, we can be more tolerant, because we do it, too.
Karen Holmes
