Even young children can join in Ramadan fasting, but they need to pace themselves, Muslims say

As Muslims across P.E.I. celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, it may come as a surprise to some outside the faith that many children partake to varying degreesin the ritual of fasting during daylight hours this month whichcan mean no food or drink for 12 hours or longer.

Ramadan began April 1and will end May 1 with the celebration of Eidal-Fitr, which is a three-day religious holiday. Children who have not gone through puberty are not required to fast, and neither are Muslims who are menstruating, pregnant or sick.

At their homein Charlottetown, Rasha Elbehery and her husband, Ahmed Elmoslemany, are fasting, along with their 20-year-old son,Mahmoud, daughter Menna, 17, and 11-year-old Mostafa. The couple also havea three-year old, Maria.

"They choose to do it, we don't force them" to fast, Elbeherysaid of thechildren. In fact, she said Menna wanted to start partially fasting when she was just five years oldand Mostafa when he was six.

"I keep telling him you don't have to do it," Elbehery said of Mostafa, who because of his age is not required to fastbut does.

Elbehery makes sure the kids get a heartybreakfast beforesunupand a big meal at sundown, so she is not worried about them fastingduring the day although she always has food prepared if they need it.

"I'm proud of them. They started at a very young age and they really did it," she said.

The family decorated their home for Ramadan, and they go to the mosque in Charlottetown to pray every evening.

"We call it month of joy," Elbehery said.

'It just feels special'

Mostafa is in Grade 6 at Spring Park Elementary School, where during the month of Ramadan hefasts all day.

"It just feels special I don'treally know how to explain it," he said. When he was younger, he said he wanted to fast to be like his older siblings, but now it's different.

The first day of fasting is the hardest, then it gets easier, Mostafa said. He reads to distract himself from hunger and thirst.

Menna, his older sister, said Ramadan is a good month to reflect on one's relationship to Islamand to empathize with people who don't have enough to eat or drink. As a child, she was competitive with her older brother and by Grade 2was fully fasting daily during Ramadan.

"Now, it's likemoreof a religious thing, it's not just a competition," Menna said. She takes time to read the Qur'an and strengthen her relationship with God not to mention making and eating special Ramadan treats for the family's evening meal. Fasting is now part of herroutine and is not hard, she said.

Number of children fasting grows every year

Jo-Ann Esseghaier, a Grade 4 teacher at Spring Park school, says she is impressed the students in her classroom and at the school are joyful when Ramadan arrives. She estimates there are up to 50 Muslim children fasting to some degree, and that number is growing every year.

"They're not looking at it like, 'Oh heavens, we don't get to eat very much,' but it's like, 'This is a very special time of year,'" she said.

Ramadan is supposed to be a time for self-reflection becoming a better person, controlling negative emotions such asimpatience or anger, and doing charity and good deeds.

Because she wears a hijab, the students know Esseghaier is Muslim, and they look to her to help them celebrate Ramadan. There's even a countdown to Eid on the wall in the hallway near her classroom. She said Ramadan is a time of great community at the school.

"Everybody is wishing everybody a happy Ramadan, Ramadan Mubarak," she said. "They're very pleased that other people are fasting and are aware of what is going on.

"It createsa stronger bond between everybody, and you feel like there's other people on your team that can support you and know what you're feeling."

'Families have different ways of doing it'

Even children in Grade 1 will be aware that their older brothers and sisters are fasting and want to be part of it, Esseghaier said.

Her own children are all adults, but she remembers them "training" to fast when they were in elementary school.

Younger children, for example,might wake before dawn with their family for breakfast, then skip snacksor abstain from eating lunch, perhaps having a snack when they get home from school, then joining their families to break their fast at sundown.

Some students tell her they are fasting, but not on days when they have gym class. Others say they'renot eating solid foodbut allowing themselves to drink liquids. Parentsoften pack a lunch or snacks, just in case.

"Many families have different ways of doing it. And what a lot of teachers find is the children themselves bring it on and they really want to be part of the whole feeling and be part of doing everything," Esseghaier said.

Students at Spring Park who are fasting are invited to gather in the school's mutipurposeroom over lunch period so they don't have to be nearclassmates who are eating. Teachersset up games, including chess, and printout Ramadan colouring pages.

The children comefrom different countries, includingSomalia, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Ivory Coast, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Canada, Esseghaiersaid, so fasting is another way of bringing the children together.

'Not everybody is ready'

Amirah Oyesegun, 21, who will become a registered dietitian in P.E.I. this week, grew up in Nigeria, where theirfather is a doctor and theyhad several oldersisters.

With help from their family, Oyesegunstarted partial fasting at age nine and was fully fasting by 11.

"I didn't want to be left out everyoneelse was fasting,"theyexplain. "Ramadan is the absolute best time of the year,because there is such a strong sense of community during that time."

At the age of nine, Oyesegunwould wake and have breakfast with family before dawn, then fast for five hours untillunchtime. Theygradually increased that time over the next couple of years until they werespiritually ready to fully fast.

Oyesegun said the right age to start fasting depends on the child each is different.

"Everyone develops differently," theysaid. "Islamic doctrine is, like, around the time puberty hits, and so usually say, like, 11, 12, but not everybody is ready at that time.

"It depends very much on the child and what they feel that they're capable of.I don't think there's a specific age."

Oyesegun said if children who are fasting get a headache or feel dizzy, it's OK to drink water. Children should listen to their bodies and be honest with themselves if they need a snack or water for energy.

"My parents would often ask me: 'Are you able to do it?'" they said.Her parentstold Oyesegunthat if theyfelt weak or theirstomach hurt, theyshould eat, because physical health is just as important as spiritual health.

"God cares more about your well-beingas a person than justfasting."