Ramadan Eat with the Sun and Fast with the Moon!

This episode explores Ramadan, a month-long period of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. I am observing the fast this year because I was beginning to feel quite disturbed by all the imagery in our media around food access and affordability during this global lockdown. Muslims celebrate Ramadan because it is the fifth pillar of Islam and also because it teaches them to practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate. I am launching this episode, after my 10th day of fasting. I hope you will see the parallels with the larger subject of this podcast, 'fasting with the moon', as this fast is timed between one sighting of the crescent moon and the next, in the 9th month of the Muslim calendar. 

I have captured the first 10 days of fasting as I accompany my friend and guide, Lubna Qureishi, who features in this episode through a phone conversation that covered a host of topics. We recollected about how I had been intrigued by her fast last year, and how she had once slept through the pre-dawn meal, so she had to wait much longer to break her fast! We also speak about what to eat to sustain oneself through 14+ hour long 'COVID-19 Shelter in Place Days' where we might be surrounded by family that may not be fasting. Lubna also spoke about how this year felt different without the presence of community and Mosque visits.  

I will continue to explore this fast in the context of our overall subject through the next episode, with a new guest. Meanwhile, I look forward to hearing your feedback and your thoughts at https://anchor.fm/omni-wellness/message