Muslims, Jews find common ground as they forsake food, drink during this month’s observances

By Thalib Razi
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For most of this month, junior Rostam Razban woke up before dawn to eat a meal in observance of the fast of Ramadan. It might be a sandwich with meat or cream cheese, plus cereal and plenty to drink, he said. After dawn, Razban went without food or water until sunset, at which point he ate dinner and prayed with his parents. This general schedule repeated itself for the following 30 days.

“Your body gets used to it,” he said. “You have this state of mind where you’re not supposed to eat.”

Last Sunday, Muslims worldwide completed this month of daylight fasting with the festival known as Eid al-Fitr. This Sunday, however, marks the start of Yom Kippur, a Jewish holiday where the devout also abstain from food and drink until the setting of the sun.

Junior Aaron Melemed said he will observe this day of repentance, which begins at sunset with a service called Kol Nidre. The next morning, he said, he will wake up and go to the temple until noon, though the more observant remain there, praying, reciting and listening, until the closing hours of the 24-hour fast.

“We normally have a bunch of families over (at sundown) and have a big celebratory feast,” Melemed said.

Islam and Judaism share much in common besides fasting practices, including a common Semitic origin and culture as well as similar beliefs about God. These similarities are often obscured by the turmoil in Israel, including Palestinian anger towards an official approval on Sept. 7 by the Israeli government of 455 new homes to be built in the occupied West Bank.
Michael Saahir, imam of Nur-Allah Islamic Center, said this enmity between Muslims and Jews isn’t an old feud, citing the period of Muslim rule in Spain as one of many examples of the two communities coexisting.

“Only in modern times, with the turmoil that resulted from the creation of a new state, has the relationship between Jews and Muslims suffered,” Saahir said.

“I was over in Israel last June, and there’s an international group called Rabbis for Human Rights, and they do a lot of good for Palestinians,” Saahir said. “But bad news makes news, so the actions of Arab militant groups or the Israeli government make headlines instead of (the international group’s) actions.”

Razban said he knew little about current events in Israel, though he did know the length of Yom Kippur. According to him, most Muslims acknowledge Jews for their work ethic and for their religion, whose prophets Muslims also consider authentic. Razban also said he has some Jewish friends, among which were Melemed.

Melemed said, “(Yom Kippur’s) just like Ramadan, you’re trying to stay away from some of the pleasures of life.”

According to Saahir, fasting is Allah’s prescription to the human family for self-restraint and God-consciousness. This instruction, among others, was sent down by God to his prophets, he said, including Moses and Muhammad.

Saahir said, “Peace be upon both of them.”