Column by Wesley Robinson

From Sept. 2 to Sept. 29, followers of Islam observed Ramadan. Ramadan occurs annually during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is dictated by lunar sightings. As part of the five pillars of Islam, Muslims fast from true dawn to sunset. The purpose is to practice patience, sacrifice and humility. Also, reflecting upon ones actions is important.

In an effort to better understand the faith, I decided to fast for Ramadan, which was a decision that took a lot of consideration and was not made lightly. Most of us have trouble skipping a meal, and not eating for 13 hours for nearly a month was a big commitment.

Several of my good friends are Muslim, so there was a built-in support group after I began fasting. The UK Muslim community really embraced me and helped me get through the fasting process, all the while educating me further on their beliefs, many of which are similar to my own.

Over the course of Ramadan my friends and their parents opened up their homes and shared their culture with me. In turn, the UK Muslim Student Association hosted the Fast-A-Thon, which raised $3,500 for the Catholic Action Center and brought out hundreds of people who now have a better understanding of the faith, said Aun Munis, president of MSA.

Toward the end of the month we had a big Suhoor breakfast, which is the meal before the first prayer of the day, or Fajr. I also had the opportunity to go to the mosque and observe the Maghrib prayer and eat with some of the local Muslim community for Iftar, the meal right after sunset.

During this time, I did a lot of reflecting on my own Christian faith, my interaction with others and how to be a better example of understanding and embracing each other for what we are.

I believe it is human nature to be prejudiced. Whether good or bad, we tend to have assumptions about people based on the way they look, speak, dress and any other superficial things we can initially pick out.

In most cases this prejudice is ignorance or not being taught to learn about people or ideas different from you. In other cases it is a down right unwillingness to learn and respect the beliefs of others.

The simple fact is that this country allows its residents to practice their respective religions freely, but whenever that religion isn’t Christianity, it becomes a problem.

Here on campus we recently had issue with an anti-Muslim e-mail forwarded from our former Student Government president. From that e-mail, people protested and sought to make change, but lost in all of it was the people who were offended. I remember calls for Nick Phelps’ impeachment, but I do not recall a widespread call for an apology, or an effort to promote cultural understanding — just agenda-laden complaining.

In our presidential election, great deals of time, effort and resources have been spent to negatively portray the religion of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Many times Obama has come out and said that he is not a Muslim. I do not take issue with his denial, but the fact that he does not take the opportunity to teach people to be more understanding.

To me, if he were a Muslim, it shouldn’t matter. Church and state have been separated for a reason, and it is the ability to lead a country that is necessary, not someone having the right answer to a question of faith. By remaining silent, Obama is passively promoting a sentiment that it is OK to discriminate against Muslims for their beliefs.

Without getting into doctrinal differences between different religions, I would encourage students to take the time to get to know someone of a different faith with different beliefs. Part of college is learning new experiences and casting away the ignorance of adolescence.

An instructor on campus posed a question to his class. Essentially, the question addressed freedom of religion. When Christianity was the topic, it was OK to have religion as an open part of the culture, but when Islam became involved in the conversation, the waters got a little murky.

Imagine if someone pre-judged you by the way you looked or your faith and considered you a terrorist or simply withheld all the benefits of being an American citizen. What would you do? What could you do?

Over the course of Ramadan, I was able to get a small glimpse into the world of a Muslim person, and I don’t see too many fundamental differences from what most “Americans” do and believe. And I encourage more people to find out for themselves. It doesn’t have to be fasting, but instead of discussing what others do, seek the answer to why it is that things are done in that way.