Congressional staffer speaks of Ramadan and Eid al Fitr

By Jim Fisher-Thompson
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- After prayer service at his local mosque in Prince George's County, Maryland, African-American Muslim Jameel Aalim-Johnson likes to take his family to a nearby restaurant where he joins other Muslims to celebrate Eid al Fitr -- the breaking of the month long fast that follows Ramadan.

[This year, according to Islam's lunar calendar, Ramadan or the month the Holy Koran was revealed to Mohammed ended the evening of November 24. The next day the celebration of Eid al Fitr, the first day of Shawwal, the next month in the Muslim calendar, took place.]

On the day of Eid al Fitr, Aalim-Johnson said, "What we do as a family is get up early in the morning. I, my wife and two children get dressed up. We go to the Mosque -- Prince George's Muslim Association -- and pray with the other people in our community. After listening to a sermon, I usually take them out for breakfast. And if I haven't bought them gifts already, I take them out and let them choose for themselves.

"I don't really think African-Americans celebrate Eid al Fitr all that differently from other Muslims in America," Aalim-Johnson told the Washington File during a November 26 phone interview from his office on Capitol Hill. "One thing I've seen, and this is only anecdotal, is a lot more African-American Muslims going out to eat at a restaurant rather then having the celebration at home. But this may be just part of our American dining- out culture."

Aalim-Johnson, who is chief of staff to Representative Gregory Meeks, (Democrat of New York), and his family are members of the growing Muslim community in America that now numbers between six and seven million, the majority of whom are African-American.

The Hill staffer said he was attracted to Islam after he graduated from college and began began studying religion more seriously. "When I began looking at Islam...it seemed the way of life that Muslims were practicing was more in line with the way the prophets, including Jesus, lived than the Christianity I'd grown up with."

Asked what Ramadan meant to him as an African-American, the Congressional official said, "I think it means the same to me as it does to all other Muslims. It's more a question of faith than race. Ramadan is an education, not just a one-shot situation during the year, but a training exercise and renewal for the entire year.

"The Koran says that fasting has been prescribed for us to teach us piety -- God consciousness. So, the whole point of the month is to keep us constantly in the remembrance of Allah and to teach us that if we can restrain ourselves from things that are normally acceptable, like food and drink, then surely we can restrain ourselves from negative things for the rest of the year."

According to Aalim-Johnson, Islam is a universal religion of tolerance that has brought many cultures under its big tent. It is belief in Allah as the prophet of God and the tenets of the Koran that are the unifying elements in that faith and not whether one is an Arab, an American or a European, he asserted.

Aalim-Johnson said his message for Africans curious about African-American Muslims is: "When it comes to Islam, we each have our own cultural backgrounds. Islam does not demand that we change our culture entirely -- we still are who we are. What we have to do is make sure that what we do culturally is acceptable.

"In a way, Islam sets the ground rules and criteria for culture and we should always put that first over our race or our tribe," he said. Because, in the final analysis, "we are not looking to be accepted by each other but to be accepted Allah. So, while culture is important, Islam comes first."

On November 25 President Bush issued an Eid al Fitr message to Muslims worldwide: "Islam is a religion that inspires its followers to lead lives based on justice, compassion and personal responsibility. During this joyful season, I encourage people of all faiths to reflect on our shared values: love of family, gratitude to God, a commitment to religious freedom and respect for the diversity that adds to our Nation's strength. By working together to advance peace and mutual understanding, we help build a future of promise and compassion for all."

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)