During the first few months at high school I found it very hard to interact with the other pupils as they already knew each other, but once I felt comfortable I opened up quite easily. It now somewhere after Christmas time if my memory is right and it coming towards the holy month of Ramadan where all Muslims who are capable to fast should participate in a month where we are not allowed to eat or drink during day time hours.
The first couple of fast I kept I found really difficult as other pupils teased me as they were having they snacks on they break and diner. One time as I was sitting in the library during lunch hour a couple of my mates who were Christians came over just to see what I was doing. I explained to them that I didn’t want to sit in the diner as other were eating they food it just made me hungry. As a joke at first one of the lads pulled out a crisp packet from his jacket and asked me to take some. I told him that I was fasting and I couldn’t have anything to eat until sunset. He then kept on asking me several times to take some crisp I just kept on answering with the same replay that I was fasting.
Half an hour had now passed and he was still asking me one time I was really tempted to take some crisp just to shut him up but my conscious told me that if I did take some crisp I would not be doing the right thing so I just refused thank god that the diner bell went which signalled that it was end of lunch hour. Saved by the bell.
That day when I went home I told my older sister what had happened in school. My sister was really proud of me that I didn’t take any food although it would not have had any consequences for anyone it would have had a significant effect on me and how I preach my religion. The only thing I remember my sister telling me that day is
“You should always believe in yourself and do what you heart thinks is right”
As the days went by I educated my mates about my religion. For example they didn’t know that we Muslims are not allowed to eat pork and bacon, we could only eat a special kind of meat called Halal meat which had been prayed on. Another problem was explained to my tutors that I could not participate in food technology or P.e as it just made my day a lot harder.
As time went by my teachers and mates understood more about me and my religions and how I had to fit it around my daily chores. After a year when the month of Ramadan came again my mates understood at more. It was especially nice when I didn’t have to participate in P.e as I was fasting got me out of playing football on those cold winter mornings.
By Asif Khan
“You should always believe in yourself and do what you heart thinks is right”
