As I was staying with a Muslim family, I thought it appropriate that I fast during my time there as well. Jessica, Whitney, Vanessa, and I all went into the weekend anticipating the long day we would have on Saturday. As it turns out, fasting really isn’t all that hard. After the early breakfast (sunrise/start of the fast was at 6:12am) I went back upstairs and slept for a few more hours. When I got up again I went down to the Saturday market where there were rows of tables with handmade crafts such as jewelry and canvas paintings, as well as a lot of very tempting food. At noon Jessica served as the model for a bridal scarf (aka a midoora) pinning demonstration.
From there we took the young children from Jessica’s house to the playground until the next call for prayer rang out across the neighborhood. While we were at the playground a funeral procession marched by. In Muslim tradition, funerals occur within 24 hours of the death. To do this, as I’m sure you can imagine, Muslim communities are very tight knit communities. This is the only way to allow for funerals to occur so quickly. The men march the body to the graveyard, and the women pray separately. The separation of sexes is not due to a hierarchy; in fact, Muslims believe in the equality of men and women; rather it is a matter of respect and privacy. After the funeral, food is brought to the family of the deceased. This is especially important when there is a female widower; it is against custom for the widower to be seen by a strange male for 4 months and 10 days. This is to protect her in case she is pregnant so there can be no dispute as to who the father of the child is. As such, neighbors, friends, and family have to be around to help her.
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