Ramadan through fresh eyes

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It seems like whenever I check the news, there’s something going on that has to do with Islam.

Whether it’s the mosque at Ground Zero, Terry Jones burning Qurans, Taliban stonings, or the disfigured Muslim woman on the cover of Time Magazine, Islam has been getting a lot of media spotlight these days.

This very publication is no exception. Last week I was assigned a story about how Muslims in Mount Pleasant celebrate the Islamic month of Ramadan. As I researched what Ramadan was, I began to realize how ignorant I am of the 2nd largest and fastest-growing religion in the world.

Although I’d taken some religion classes and even once read the Quran on my own, this story was the door to my first real interactions with Muslims. I had never been to a mosque before or even really talked to anyone who was Islamic.

Reporting forces me to stay open to life. I can not afford to live in a bubble and disengage from people who are different from me or even hostile towards me. It’s the job.

Most of the Muslims in Mount Pleasant are international students who have incredible background stories. They all were friendly and helpful. And they had such detailed answers for my questions, I wondered if they had just been waiting to be asked.

The experience of getting to know my Muslim neighbors was enjoyable and gratifying, but not simple. For instance, it got awkward when I asked permission for the photographer, a female, to be allowed past the curtain that separates the men and women inside the Mosque. After deliberating, they concluded that as long as she wasn’t a distraction, they’d break tradition, and let her stand in the back once the praying had already started.

People are diverse meaning there will be disagreements.

And that’s OK. Everyone deserves a voice.