Observing Ramadan, my way of loving my neighbour – McCain

Weekly Trust: Do you sometimes participate in observing Ramadan? If you do, what prompted you to start and for how long have you been observing it?Carmen McCain: Although I am a Christian, I have fasted for Ramadan in 2008, 2010 and 2011. I first fasted when I moved to Kano in 2008, as a way […]

Weekly Trust: Do you sometimes participate in observing Ramadan? If you do, what prompted you to start and for how long have you been observing it?
Carmen McCain: Although I am a Christian, I have fasted for Ramadan in 2008, 2010 and 2011. I first fasted when I moved to Kano in 2008, as a way to experience what the rest of my community was experiencing. I didn’t like to eat in front of people who were fasting, and I wanted to experience life during Ramadan as everyone else around me experienced it. Since fasting is also a spiritual discipline in Christianity, I figured this would be a good time to exercise that aspect of my faith.
WT: Are there years when you didn’t?
McCain: Yes, in fact, I feel rather silly talking about it since I am not fasting this year. I didn’t fast in 2009 because I was in the U.S. with family during Ramadan. Similarly, after I left Kano in 2011, I was no longer living in a Muslim community. Since most of my motivation in fasting was to support the community in which I was living, I have not fasted since then, though I may fast a few days this Ramadan to pray for Nigeria and the return of the girls kidnapped in Chibok.
WT: Personally, what does the exercise mean to you?
McCain: It is my way of loving my neighbour, and walking a little while in their shoes. This is not unique to me. I have read that other Christians who have lived closely with Muslims for hundreds of years, such as those in Palestine; also often fast alongside their Muslim friends during Ramadan, and that Muslims also sometimes give up certain foods during Lent to likewise support their Christian friends. We cannot agree on all aspects of theology, but I think it is important to look for ways we can love each other and participate in each other’s lives, and fasting is one way in which the spiritual practices of Muslims and Christians coincide. I think it is particularly important to find these commonalities, as we work together as a community of believers to resist extremism.
WT: What are the gains for you in this?
McCain: I enjoyed the feeling of being part of the community, and the experience of breaking fast with everyone else in the evenings. It was also a time of reflection and prayer and self-discipline.
WT: What challenges do you encounter in this period?
McCain: I’m sure the challenges I face when I fast are the same other people face: hunger, thirst, lack of energy, crankiness. Going without water is harder for me than going without food, especially when it is hot.
WT: What lessons would you like to share about the observance of Ramadan?
McCain: I have written about this before, but I have appreciated learning the discipline of fasting, which builds up self-control in other areas and times in life as well. I admire the dedication of my Muslim friends who fast every year for a whole month, and I think Christians can take this as inspiration in practicing our own faith.