Transcript Final Paper Presentation

Ramadan in America
By : Fatemah Alhusayni
Instructor: KWANGHYUN PARK
ESL 015, Academic Writing 02
Fall 2005
Introduction:
•
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar.
It’s determined by seeing the crescent of the moon at last
day of the previous month. Ramadan is the month of
fasting. Muslims every where abstain from food, drink and
sex from down to sunset each day the entire month.
Ramadan is also the month of well power, being closer to
God, and being nice to your friends and family.*(1)
•
Inspiring by my personal experience and by our neighbor;
Adel Esmael family, who just came to State College ,I am
going to introduce and explain how Ramadan is different in
the U.S than in the Muslim world, and how Muslims ,
citizens and residents , experience Ramadan in America.
Ramadan in the Muslim world:
•Ramadan in the Muslim world, specifically Kuwait, is
associated with special ambience. All working hours will
be cut to the half. Special TV programs would be set, and
special dishes are cooked just in Ramadan.
•In Islam, there’s something called Athan. Athan is when
a special man goes to the top of the mosque calling for
believers to prayer *(2), so that all the people in the town
hear them and know that this is the pray time. Athan is
specially important in Ramadan because when people
hear Athan for down pray , it’s the time for them to stop
from eating and drinking.
•After a long day ,around sunset time, all the family
gather around the table to eat the Iftar, the Arabic word
for fast breaking. In the weekends all people from the
same family, go to the house of the oldest man in the
family to eat Iftar on a long big dinning table.
Ramadan in the U.S:
- Non- citizens:
• Ramadan is very hard for those who came to work or study. They usually have no
relatives or Muslim friends.
•It’s harder for singles than families, since they have no time to cook, so they usually
fast break alone on fast foods meals.
•Families and singles live in small towns have a more difficult time since they usually
don’t contain any mosques or Islamic centers.
•Cities like Dearborn, Detroit, New York city and Los Angeles, have many Islamic
centers and schools. Muslims in their have a more familiar and worming Ramadan.
- Citizens:
• There are five million Muslims in America.*(3)
•According to one recent survey, there are 1,209 mosques in America, well over half
founded in the last 20 years.227 of them are in California.*(4)
•Muslim citizens who immigrated or converted to Islam , experience Ramadan very
similar to this in the Muslim world because they have families, friends and worship
places.
A Muslim man shares a tender moment with his wife on South
Mountain, Arizona, to view the crescent moon that will signal the
beginning of Ramadan
Ramadan is celebrated in various ways throughout America. Fasting
during the day is only one part of the Ramadan activities. In countless
Muslim households and mosques in America, Muslims gather to break
the daylong fast, inviting friends and non-Muslims alike at sunset. Here,
a Michigan family prepares to end their fast.
The Islamic center of Southern
California in Beverly Hills.
At the Al-Ghazaly Muslim Elementary School in Jersey
City, New Jersey, a third-grade teacher helps her class
prepare for an upcoming test
.
Americans and Islam:
•55 percent of Americans view Islam in favorable light.*(5)
•In some communities including Washington DC, local television stations broadcast
daily Ramadan greeting.
•A few years ago President George W. Bush hosted an Iftar dinner at the White
House, welcoming representatives from 53 Muslim nations.
•For the last few years, the U.S Department of State has hosted an Iftar dinner for
prominent American Muslim leaders. *(6)
Conclusion:
•Ramadan is a celebrated month for Muslims all over the world. For those who
have been away from home, it is always going to be hard whether they spend it in
the U.S or elsewhere.
•American Muslims have created a new Ramadan customs and tradition adjusting
to the life tone of the United States.
References:
•(1), (2),(3): Celebrating Ramadan. By: Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith,2001.
•(4): http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/muslimlife/
•(5): http://www.islmaonline.net
•(6):http://www.30-days.net/statics/statusa5.htm