1. Ramadan and American Muslim Teenagers   Instructor: Emily McGill, Hamilton Southeastern High School Course: World History   Grade level: Unit: Islam   Time Length – Five 50 minute classes   Materials needed: Ramadan Overview Powerpoint Copies of documents Fordson: Faith, Fasting, and Football – Accessible through North Shore Films Youtube channel ( Copies of guiding questions for written sources and documentary   Rationale: Religions are not static, and they do not exist in a vacuum. Most of the major world religions developed over hundreds of years ago. Today, followers of those religions continue to perform the religious observations and practices.   This lesson fits into a larger unit on Islam. The purpose is to give a closer examination of a holiday that more than 1.8 billion individuals celebrate every year, including more than three million in the United States. Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Practice in Islam, and this lesson dives into how individuals practice their religion in the modern day.

2. For both students and other educators, it is important to understand not only the reasons why Muslims fast during Ramadan but to also see the effects. Students will see the toll that fasting can take on the body, but they will also hear and see some Muslims explain how Ramadan can bring people closer to their faith and community. While fasting is a trial for all, it can be even more challenging for Muslims living in non-majority Muslim countries. The United States is an example of this as many Americans do not know about the holiday, and there are fewer facilities to support non-Muslims on Ramadan.   This lesson uses the film Fordson: Faith, Fasting, and Football to give another perspective on American Muslims. In addition to showing students from Fordson High School observing Ramadan during their football season in 2009, it also examines life in the town of Dearborn, Michigan. Interviews with both students, their families, and other members of the community explain the impact of rise of discrimination against Muslims on the town. While this only gives one snapshot of the experience of American Muslims, it can be used to discuss overall identities and discrimination with your students.   Select pieces of the lesson, such as the blog post and clips from the film, can also be used to inform educators about Ramadan, particularly how Ramadan affected this group of high school students. As Ramadan often falls within the school year, it is important for teachers to understand the holiday in order to create the best learning environment for Muslim students by respecting their religious practices and ensuring they are still academically successful. For example, in 2018 Ramadan will take place at the end of the school year when days will be longer and becoming warmer and many students will be talking finals and completing other rigorous academic activities. The film can also be used to educate teachers about the discrimination faced by some Muslim teenagers and Muslim communities, which can be used to foster more understanding and empathy, hopefully leading to a stronger and more positive school culture for all students.  

3. Standards Indicator(s): Based on the Indiana Academic Standards WH 2
Standards Indicator(s): Based on the Indiana Academic Standards   WH 2.1: Review the development and key concepts of major world religions and philosophies including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam  Learning objectives: Students will examine the basic aspects and history of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr Students will analyze why Muslims celebrate Ramadan and look at how Muslims around the world celebrate Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr Students will analyze how Ramadan spiritually impacts Muslims Look at discrimination against American Muslims post- 9/11   Background/Anticipatory Set: Students will have already received an overview of the history of Islam, including the life of Muhammad, major beliefs of Islam including the Five Pillars of Faith, the spread of Islam and early Islamic empires.   Procedures: PART 1: Introduction to Ramadan: Around the World, then and now Central Questions: How do Muslims observe Ramadan? How has Ramadan been viewed and celebrated by different Muslims throughout history? Analyze from the point of view of different individuals from different eras.   Introduction: Use the PowerPoint presentation to provide an overview of Ramadan Slide 1: Ramadan Basics Slide 2: Observing Ramadan: Suhur and fasting Slide 3: Observing Ramadan: Iftar Slide 4: Laylat al-Qadr: Night of Power Slide 5: Eid al-Fitr

4. 2. Have students examine the photos from the National Geographic article “See how Muslims around the World Celebrate the End of Ramadan” ( Discuss with students the variety of celebrations.   3. Pass out Primary sources: Document A and Document B and guiding questions. Students will analyze poems by Sufi spiritual leader and poet Rumi and American Muslim poet David Moore. Have students work in pairs to analyze the documents.   4. Discuss answers. Have students share out their findings.   5. Read together Document C answer the questions for document C together. After discussing the post, answer the wrap-up question together.     PART 2: Practicing Ramadan in America Central Questions: How do some Muslim American teenagers celebrate Ramadan? How did 9/11 impact life in Dearborn? How does it continue to impact life in the community? 1. Open class by putting the following quote on the board: “We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.” – Edward R. Murrow.   A. Have students write on their own sheet of paper what they think it means. Ask students to share out what they believe the quote means.

5. B. Explain to students the context of the quote
B. Explain to students the context of the quote. American journalist Edward R. Murrow said it on his CBS program “See it Now” in 1954 as a sharp criticism of Senator Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism. Explain briefly to students about the Cold War and the fear of the spread of communism abroad and at home and the impact of McCarthyism on the nation. C. Explain to students that they will be viewing and analyzing a film looking at American Muslims observing Ramadan and their lives in Dearborn, Michigan. Students will see discrimination towards Muslims in the film, and this quote is used to introduce the film as quotes from news pundits are spoken 2. Introduction: Give students background on the history of Ramadan in America. Slide 1: Brief history of Islam in the United States Slide 2: Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr in the United States   3. Film Viewing. Give students background on Dearborn, Michigan, and its Muslim community. Also give students background on the impact of September 11 if necessary. Have students watch the film Fordson: Faith, Fasting, and Football. Students should answer the film guide questions as they work.   4. Film Reflection and discussion. Debrief the film and discuss the viewing questions. Additionally, discuss as a class the following:   A. What examples of discrimination did you see in the film?  

6. B. In the film, a comparison of the discrimination towards Muslim Americans is compared to the discrimination towards Japanese Americans. Why was that comparison made?   C. What are other examples of discrimination and violations of rights towards groups in American history?   D. Use this discussion to shift into the reflection questions, which examine the ideas of religious identity, the American dream, and if the film was created today, would the director use the same quote to introduce the film? As a wrap up, also discuss current issues of discrimination in America. Closure/Evaluation: After the class discussion, have students answer the reflection questions on their own.       Citations and Additional Resources:   Beckwith, Cary. "Of Mosques and Men." New Republic. New Republic, 31 Jan Web. 25 July   Beydoun, Khaled A. “Ramadan: A Centuries-old American Tradition.” Al Jazeera English. Al Jazeera, 28 June Web. 14 July    

7. Brayton, Jenna. “President Obama Hosts a Ramadan Iftar Dinner at the White House.” National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, 23 June Web. 17 July   Fenton, Siobhan. "Ramadan 2017: How Muslims Fast in Countries Where the Sun Never Sets." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 26 May Web. 24 July   Fordson: Faith, Fasting, and Football. Dir. Rashid Ghazi. North Shore Films, 2011   Gulevich, Tanya. Understanding Islam and Muslim Traditions. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, Print.   Heiligman, Deborah, and Neguin Yavari. Celebrate Ramadan & Eid Al-fitr. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, Print.   Khan, Gulnaz. “See How Muslims Celebrate the End of Ramadan Around the World.” National Geographic. National Geographic Partners, 22 June Web. 16 July   “Rumi’s Ramadan Poem.” Majzooban Noor. Nematollahi Gonabadi Sufi News Agancy, Web. 23 July   Safaap. “Fact: How Ramadan Actually Feels.” East of What? N.p., 21 June Web. 19 July   Smith, Jane I. Islam in America. New York: Columbia U, Print.

8. Document Analysis: Ramadan Directions: Analyze Documents A and B and answer the questions below. Focus on the central question: How has Ramadan been viewed and celebrated by Muslims throughout history?   Document A: Ramadan Poem When and where did Rumi live? What does this tell us about the spread of Islam after the death of Muhamad?     What does Rumi see as the spiritual effects of Ramadan? What words or phrases does he use?    Document B: “Delight my Diet” What is Moore’s background?   How does Moore’s view of the spiritual effects of Ramadan compare to Rumi’s? Use words or phrases to support your response     Document C: “Fact: How Ramadan actually feels” Why do you think the author wrote this post? Who is the audience?   Besides fasting, what other examples does the author give about how some Muslims have observed Ramadan?   This post was written by a teenager in the 21th century, 1400 years after the angel Gabriel appeared to Muhammad, and 800 years after the life of Rumi. Have the methods of observing and spiritual effects of Ramadan changed over time?    Wrap-up: After reading all three sources, what do you think Ramadan means to the authors?

9. Document A: Ramadan Poetry: Jelaluddin al-Rumi  Jelaluddin al-Rumi was a 13th century spiritual leader and poet who spent most of his life what is modern day Turkey. Writing in his native language of Farsi (the language spoken in Persia), Rumi wrote about 40,000 verses in his lifetime.   There’s hidden sweetness in the stomach’s emptiness. We are lutes, no more, no less. If the soundboxes stuffed full of anything, no music. If the brain and belly are burning clean with fasting, every moment a new song comes out of the fire. The fog clears, and new energy makes you run up the steps in front of you. Be emptier and cry like reed instruments cry. Emptier, write secrets with the reed pen. When you’re full of food and drink, Satan sits where your spirit should, an ugly metal statue in place of the Kaaba. When you fast, good habits gather like friends who want to help. Fasting is Solomon’s ring. Don’t give into some illusion and lose your power, but even if you have, if you’ve lost all will and control, they come back when you fast, like soldiers appearing out of the ground, pennants flying above them. A table descends to your tents, Jesus’ table. Expect to see it, when you fast, this tablespread with other food, better than the broth of cabbages.    “Rumi’s Ramadan Poem.” Majzooban Noor. Nematollahi Gonabadi Sufi News Agancy, Web. 23 July 2017.

10. Document B: “Delight My Diet” by Daniel Moore
Born in 1940, Daniel Moore is an American who converted to Islam. The following poem was included in his book The Ramadan Sonnets, which was published in 1996.
Each year a segment of my time on earth turns dry
and takes me to the far edge of my life
I turn from food and drink and lust of eye
(and making love in the daylight to my wife)
Each time it comes the passage becomes clear
that thrusts me forward to that day of death
but there’s a sweetness that’s beyond compare
(greater than the rankness of my breath).
A something that’s like ease, a strength beyond my will
sustains the difficulty makes the day all right
creates a lake inside the heart that’s still
and casts a golden glow upon the night
Each year it comes, my dread turns into quiet –
Hardship becomes ease, delight my diet

11. Document C: “Fact: How Ramadan actually feels”   The following is a post from the blog “east of what?” The blog includes writings from students at Washtenaw Technical Middle College in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The following was posted by user Safaap, a sophomore, on June 21, This week is the third week of Ramadan. The holiest month in Islam where we fast during the day and eat during the night. Contrary to what people believe, we don’t eat nor do we drink at all when we are fasting. And believe it or not, it won’t kill us. I know that many religions fast but in different ways…Many people believe that fasting in Islam is the hardest but it isn’t when you get used to it. Just because we aren’t able to eat or drink doesn’t mean that we aren’t going to be do anything all day. We still do our job and live our daily life. We also do things for our community when it calls for it. Just this past week, after the horrible shooting at the Orlando club, Pulse, many Muslims brought it upon themselves to give blood even when they are fasting to help out with the victims who were injured during the attack. Doing this during Ramadan means more than any other time of the year. Like I had said, when fasting Muslims can’t eat or drink meaning that when they decide to give blood, they are risking dehydration and fainting from the blood lose since they can’t drink water. During Ramadan, we fast the way we do because we want to feel grateful for the food and other things we have in our life because in the world there is someone who doesn’t have anything. As Muslims we try to as caring as possible to yourself and to others and don’t want to harm anyone. So when people say that you can die from not drinking or eating. Firstly if we could die from this then then things would’ve been different because we shouldn’t harm ourselves in anyway. Secondly, we can eat at night so it isn’t as bad as people think. Of course for the first few days you get hungry and thirsty but by the second week, I personally don’t even eat after dinner, but I do drink. So the next time you see a person fasting during Ramadan instead of asking “Can’t you die from not drinking?” “You can’t eat or drink ANYTHING at all?” or saying “I would’ve ate a while ago.”, you should say encouraging things like “you’ll make it” or “I bet you guys have a great dinner” or even better don’t talk about food. Even though admittedly fasting is hard at times, we do it because we feel good about afterwards and we feel more grateful about everything we have at the table because there are people in the world who go days without anything in there stomach so we all should be thankful.

12. Reflection: Fordson: Faith, Fasting, and Football and Ramadan in the United States   Directions: Following our viewing of the film and lessons on Islam answer the following questions. Each response should be a well-developed paragraph. Be sure to answer with thoughtful answers and use examples from the film and class as well as your own knowledge to support your answers.   1. Think about how students and their families described the spiritual effects of Ramadan and how they observed Ramadan. How were the experiences similar to the documents we examined about Ramadan? 2. In the film, Eleni Baidown, a mother of one of the football players says “We have the same ideals, same desires, and same goals…we can still live the American dream and raise our kids to do the same.”   What evidence can you give from the film to support her statement that the American Muslim families in the film have achieved the American dream?   3. The beginning of the film opens with a quote from American journalist Edward R. Murrow, “We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.”   After watching the film, why do you think the director of the film chose this quote to open the film?   4. The documentary was filmed in 2009 and was released in If the film had made today, so you think the director would still want to open the film with this quote? Why or why not?

13. Ramadan: An introduction
Created by Emily McGill
NEH Seminar: Muslim American Identities (2017)

14. Ramadan: Overview
Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, during which Muslims will fast during daylight hours
30 Days
It is one of the Five Pillars of Practice in Islam
Ramadan is the Holy month of Islam – The Qur’an was first revealed to Muhammad during Ramadan in 610
Why do Muslims fast during Ramadan?
Fasting helps with self-control. One can bring this self-control to other situations when one feels they may misbehave
Teaches compassion for the suffering of the poor
Allows for expression of gratitude to God for good things
Not only do Muslims who observe Ramadan fast, but some will also try to refrain from:
Lying, envy, breaking promises, speaking ill of others, greed

15. Observing Ramadan
Ramadan begins at sunrise the morning after the crescent moon sighting which begins the month
Suhur - early morning meal
Meal must happen before dawn breaks – no light in the sky
Muslims listen for the call to prayer – this starts the daily fast
During the day: no eating, drinking, sex, smoking

16. Observing Ramadan Breaking the fast:
Happens during the hour of the sunset prayer (maghrib)
Some Muslims will break their fast with a glass of water and a few dates
Muhammad may have ended his fast this way
Iftar - Evening meal
“Break fast”
Many Muslims will share iftar with their family and friends
Some families will invite non-Muslims to share their meal
Some mosques and charities will hold iftar banquets for the poor

17. Observing Ramadan After iftar, many will continue to celebrate
In Muslim-majority countries, many restaurants and other places are open later
In some countries in the Middle East, there will be food and entertainment tents
Others many choose to attend religious events
In addition to fasting, Muslims will also focus on charity and on their spirituality
Some Muslims will read 1/30 of the Qur’an each night
Many mosques will host additional prayer services and imams will give extra talks

18. Laylat al-Qadr
The last 10 days of Ramadan are considered to be the holiest.
“Night of Power” – 27th of Ramadan
Celebrates the transmission of the Qur’an from God to Muhammad
This happened sometime during the last 10 days of Ramadaan. It is not known exactly what day, but many Muslims celebrate it on the 27 day of the Month
Different beliefs
Was revealed to Muhammad’s heart in one night
Gabriel brought it down and shared (revealed) little by little
Some Muslims will pray more a few hours compared to other days during Ramadan, and some will pray all night at the mosque

19. Eid al-fitr “Feast of breaking fast”
Celebrated the first day of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar
Begins with the first citing of the crescent moon, ending Ramadan
In countries with large Muslim populations, schools and businesses will be closed
People may celebrate by attending services at their mosque, eating and sharing time with their families. Children may also receive gifts. Some places may also host fairs to celebrate the holiday
Celebrations will vary from country to country
National Geographic: Eid al-Fitr Celebrations Around the World

20. Muslims and Ramadan in the united states

21. Brief History of Muslims in the United States
Many of the earliest Muslims were slaves from West Africa
Restrictions and immigration quotas limited the number of Muslim immigrants, but some communities of Muslims from several countries, such as Syria and India, grew
First mosques in America were built after World War I
During the early 20th century, a majority of American Muslims were African Americans, belonging to movements such as the Moorish Science Temple and the Nation of Islam
Lifting of immigration quotas in 1965 saw larger numbers of Muslims from around the world immigrate to the United States.
American Muslims are very diverse, both in their backgrounds and practices

22. Ramadan and eid al-Fitr in the united states
The first Muslims to celebrate Ramadan in the Americas were Muslim slaves
First iftar party was held on Capitol Hill in between members of Congress, their Muslim aides, and members of the American Muslim Council
In 2001 the United States Postal Service created a stamp for Eid al-Fitr
Some American Muslims and organizations such as the Council on American Muslim Relations (CAIR) encourage Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr celebrations as a promotion of interfaith relations
President Barack Obama hosts iftar dinner at the White House in 2015

23. citations
Beckwith, Cary. "Of Mosques and Men." New Republic. New Republic, 31 Jan Web. 25 July Beydoun, Khaled A. “Ramadan: A Centuries-old American Tradition.” Al Jazeera English. Al Jazeera, 28 June Web. 14 July Brayton, Jenna. “President Obama Hosts a Ramadan Iftar Dinner at the White House.” National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, 23 June Web. 17 July Fenton, Siobhan. "Ramadan 2017: How Muslims Fast in Countries Where the Sun Never Sets." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 26 May Web. 24 July Fordson: Faith, Fasting, and Football. Dir. Rashid Ghazi. North Shore Films, 2011 Gulevich, Tanya. Understanding Islam and Muslim Traditions. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, Print. Heiligman, Deborah, and Neguin Yavari. Celebrate Ramadan & Eid Al-fitr. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, Print. Khan, Gulnaz. “See How Muslims Celebrate the End of Ramadan Around the World.” National Geographic. National Geographic Partners, 22 June Web. 16 July “Rumi’s Ramadan Poem.” Majzooban Noor. Nematollahi Gonabadi Sufi News Agancy, Web. 23 July Safaap. “Fact: How Ramadan Actually Feels.” East of What? N.p., 21 June Web. 19 July Smith, Jane I. Islam in America. New York: Columbia U, Print.