How Do Non-Muslims Spend Ramadan In A Muslim Country

Interview with a non-muslim friend.

First, I want to wish a happy Ramadan to all my Muslim readers. I wish you spend this month in good health with your loved ones and that all of your prayers get answered.

Most Muslim countries are now celebrating Ramadan which is basically a month of fasting. The fast starts at dawn and ends at sunset. A person shouldn’t eat or drink anything the entire time, yes, water included.

It is wildly enjoyed among Muslims as it brings them closer together. It is dedicated to prayer and god’s worship. It also brings out a different side of people.

It’s celebrated publically as restaurants and food places close during the fasting period. Eating outside is seen as rude and disrespectful.

However, not all people who live in a Muslim country are Muslims. Non-muslims spend the month in hiding to avoid being judged and even imprisoned. Since the law in Muslim counties prohibits people from eating in public during Ramadan, it creates a problem for people who don't fast and they resolve to eat in hiding.

The category of people who don’t fast includes people from other religions, agnostics, and atheists.

To shed light on this situation, I took the liberty of conducting an interview with a non-muslim friend who is living in Morocco. To protect their identity, their name won’t be revealed.

Q1: How does it feel to eat when everyone else is fasting?

A: Honestly, it doesn’t bother me as everyone is entitled to do whatever suits them. It doesn’t affect me being around fasting Muslims. However, I feel like I’m hiding a huge part of my identity during Ramadan.

Q2: How do you spend your day during Ramadan?

A: Just like everybody else, although I get hungry and thirsty and feel sad that I can’t eat or even drink water. When I’m at the office, I have to pretend to be fasting in order to have the respect of my peers. I end up having no energy at all and that makes me angry more than ever.

I have to sneak off to the bathroom to eat and drink water which isn’t an eating environment. I live on cookies, biscuits, and water.

Q3: Does your family know that you don’t fast?

A: No, My family are Muslims and they don’t know. I can’t tell them because I know it’ll break their heart. They will question their entire life thinking that they’ve done some wrong in raising me which is incorrect. My religious views have nothing to do with my upbringing.

Q4: Do you get judged by people who know you don’t fast?

A: That depends, I’m friends with Muslims and they don’t mind my religious views as I don’t mind theirs. If you are respectful of my views then I must return that respect. However, people who don’t fast are often attacked for it.

Q5: You said that you are friends with Muslims, how does that work?

A: Just like any other friendship. I don’t choose my friends based on their religious views, but rather their personality and the way they treat others. I believe that I can be friends with anyone as long as they are respectful and kind.

Q6: It must be really stressful spending Ramanda in a non-muslim country, how do you cope with that stress?

A: Saying it’s stressful is an understatement. It is physically and mentally painful as I have nothing to do about it. I try to keep myself distracted with work and hobbies.

Knowing that I have to hide in order to stay safe is extremely stressful. Unfortunately, some people get aggressive towards those who don’t fast and I don’t ever want to be put in a similar situation.

Q7: You said you have nothing to do about your situation, can’t you move to a different country?

A: You say that as if it’s an easy thing to do. It’s financially impossible for me right now to move. However, it’s part of my future plans.

Q8: Do you have anything you want to add?

A: I have a lot to say on the matter as it affects an entire month of the year. I wish Muslim countries were more open to the idea of accepting non-muslims during Ramadan but that would mean that the country would have to separate religion from the state and that’s an entirely different topic that most people aren’t ready to talk about.

I really wish Muslim societies can welcome us among them because we mean no harm. We are on earth for a limited time and just want to live our fullest life without worrying about things like this.

I do understand that some people might find what I'm saying disrespectful but I’m just being honest about an experience that is painful and highly stressful to me. I don’t want to hide to be accepted. I deserve to be treated with the same respect I give others. My religious views must be separated from who I am as a human being.

As you have read, this situation can be really hard on non-muslims as out of fear, they have to hide for an entire month.

This law isn't affecting just non-muslims but also Muslims who don’t fast. There are people who can’t physically fast because of an illness such as diabetes. Pregnant people, people who had just given birth, and people on their period also can’t fast and have to hide. Although, they hide because of their upbringing not out of fear.

This is an issue that demands some attention. Unfortunately, it might need years of hard work to get solved assuming that people want to do the hard work and solve it.

I wish we could all live in a united community where no one has to hide in order to live.

Until next time, be loving.