A MONTH OF RENEWAL FOR MUSLIM FAITHFUL.Byline: Holly Andres Staff Writer Curiosity and questions follow Sarah Mohtadi through the corridors and classrooms at Kennedy High School in Granada Hills. Wearing a head scarf in Muslim tradition, the bubbly, sweet-voiced sophomore answers her classmates Classmates can refer to either:
n. 1. Cheerful willingness; eagerness. 2. Speed or quickness; celerity. [Latin alacrit . ``Maybe five people ask me questions every day. I don't mind. I give them a lot of information,'' said Sarah, 15. ``I tell them 'Feel free to ask.' We like telling people about our religion, and we are not bothered by questions.'' With Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims, expected to begin at sunrise Sunrise, city (1990 pop. 64,407), Broward co., SE Fla., a residential suburb 8 mi (13 km) W of Fort Lauderdale; inc. 1961 as Sunrise Golf Village. It is a major office and commercial center and the site of Sawgrass Mills, one of the largest malls in the United States. on Sunday or Monday, Sarah expects more questions from classmates in the coming weeks. Sarah's family will fast from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan. The fast of Ramadan is the fourth duty practiced by Muslims around the world. The ``Five Pillars
The term Five Pillars may refer to:
adj. need·i·er, need·i·est 1. Being in need; impoverished. See Synonyms at poor. 2. Wanting or needing affection, attention, or reassurance, especially to an excessive degree. , as well as making a pilgrimage pilgrimage Journey to a shrine or other sacred place undertaken to gain divine aid, as an act of thanksgiving or penance, or to demonstrate devotion. Medieval Christian pilgrims stayed at hospices set up specifically for pilgrims, and on their return trip they wore on their to the holy city of Mecca. ``I look forward to Ramadan. I think it's a good month,'' Sarah said. ``You have to read the whole Koran - it's like 600 to 700 pages long - during Ramadan. ``You have to know what it means and how it relates to you. You don't just read it and not think about what it says. Ramadan is also the time to watch your actions and to be careful about what you say.'' Patience is one of the virtues that Sarah has learned since she began Ramadan fasting as an adult while in middle school. ``Ramadan also means generosity and compassion to the needy,'' Sarah said. ``When we get hungry, we feel for people who don't have food.'' Muslim holidays Muslim holidays generally celebrate the events of the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, especially the events surrounding the first hearing of the Qur'an. Islam has two main holidays, Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. are determined by a lunar-based calendar, and Ramadan may fall during different seasons from year to year. Muslims use the sighting of the crescent moon crescent moon Mary often depicted standing on or above moon. [Christian Iconog.: Brewer Dictionary, 726] See : Ascension to determine when Ramadan begins, said Zouheir Mohtadi, Sarah's father. His family will begin fasting on the day determined by calculations of the sighting of the crescent moon in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia (sä  `dē ərā`bēə, sou`–, sô–), officially Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, kingdom (2005 est. pop. . Mohtadi said he calls an Islamic Center to get a recorded message on the official start of the fast every year. ``When I hear the word 'Ramadan,' I think of the month when our holy book came down to us. It is said that the most blessed days to pray are the last 10 days of Ramadan, because that is when our prophet first received the holy book,'' said Mohtadi, who was born in Lebanon. ``Our prophet came to us to teach us to be good people. I get some funny questions from my co-workers every once in a while. But we want people to know that we are not mean people. We are not evil people. ``My wife, Hadyel, and I have been here since 1985, and our children were born here. We love it here, but we don't want to forget our traditions and our religion. There are fanatics in every religion. Our religion never, ever, says to kill. I think all religions teach the same good things.'' Nora Mohtadi, Sarah's 16-year-old sister, said that Muslims go to school and work during Ramadan. There are exceptions to fasting for seniors, pregnant women and people who are ill. If you have to break your fast, Nora said, you make it up after Ramadan is over. ``You have to keep your heart clean, your mind clean and your mouth clean from saying bad things,'' said Nora, an 11th-grader at Kennedy High School. ``You have to be a perfect angel during Ramadan.'' Nora said her classmates are astonished a·ston·ish tr.v. as·ton·ished, as·ton·ish·ing, as·ton·ish·es To fill with sudden wonder or amazement. See Synonyms at surprise. when they find out that eating and drinking, including water, and gum are prohibited during the fast. When she explains that Muslims eat a big breakfast before sunrise and skip lunch, they understand how she gets through the daylight hours. A prayer, followed by dates and milk, breaks the fast after sunset, said Sarah. Arabic foods like lentil soup Noun 1. lentil soup - made of stock and lentils with onions carrots and celery soup - liquid food especially of meat or fish or vegetable stock often containing pieces of solid food , kabobs, salads, rice and baklava are traditional dinner items for the Mohtadi family during the month. ``I feel I'm actually doing something important when I answer questions. Not everything comes from the media,'' Nora said. ``It's good to hear answers directly from a Muslim-American. It's kind of fun answering questions.'' Holly Andres, (818) 713-3708 holly.andres(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Zouheir Mohtadi and his daughters Nora, left, and Sarah are preparing for the monthlong Muslim holiday of Ramadan. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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