It is fascinating to hear the stories already coming out of the Olympics, especially regarding religiously observant athletes.In particular, the intersection of Ramadan and the Olympics this year.The Islamic calendar is a purely lunar one. What this means is, their months float around on the secular, Gregorian calendar. Thus the month in which they must fast, Ramadan, falls in different seasons. This can become an advantage when the days are short and so are the fasts.Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The Five Pillars are:
- Shahadah - the declaration of faith.
- Salat - praying five times a day.
- Zakat - giving charity.
- Sawm - fasting during Ramadan.
- Hajj - pilgrimage to Mecca.
To me, these five pillars are the 'biggies' in Islam, like we have our 'biggies' in Judaism. If I had to identify them, I would probably say they are: Fasting on Yom Kippur, lighting shabbat candles, saying the Sh'ma, giving tzedakah (charity), and remembering our journey out of Egypt (aka Passover). I think it's nice to have the five most important actions/ideals laid out for you like that.Anyway, back to Ramadan. So this year, the month long fast falls during the Olympics. Many athletes have had to make the decision to either fast and (most likely) have their performance suffer OR delay their fast. Muslims who observe Ramadan are allowed to eat before daybreak or after nightfall so many wake up before the sun to get some sustenance in... but that won't work for athletes who burn the calories so fast and need hydration.As a religiously observant Jew, I love learning how other religiously observant people in other religions struggle with and find the balance of their religion and the secular world. It's been fascinating reading!What are your thoughts on religious observance 'interfering' in secular life?The Hunger Games: Muslim Athletes Observe Ramadan at London OlympicsRamadan and the Olympics: to fast or not to fast?