God bless my Muslim cousins for the gift of Ramadan
ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest O. Disney-Britton
I am a Christian, born in America, but I am grateful to my Muslim cousins for their Ramadan. You see my African ancestry traces back to Senegal, a Muslim nation of 15 million people in Africa. This past June 17-July 17, I joined them on their 30-day holy month, the world's biggest act of mass religious observance. It is a period of daily fasting, prayer and giving to charity, and in doing so, I learned a great deal about my African cousins. I expected to purify my thoughts and to be more able to focus fully on devotion and service to God. It is what I did not expect that makes me most grateful.
By Ernest O. Disney-Britton
I am a Christian, born in America, but I am grateful to my Muslim cousins for their Ramadan. You see my African ancestry traces back to Senegal, a Muslim nation of 15 million people in Africa. This past June 17-July 17, I joined them on their 30-day holy month, the world's biggest act of mass religious observance. It is a period of daily fasting, prayer and giving to charity, and in doing so, I learned a great deal about my African cousins. I expected to purify my thoughts and to be more able to focus fully on devotion and service to God. It is what I did not expect that makes me most grateful.
- I did not expect to lose 20-lbs and feel healthier than I have in years.
- I did not expect to develop a passion for dates, the fruit used by the Prophet Mohammed to "break" his fasting.
- I did not expect the joy of allowing five prayers to set the rhythm of my day.
- Finally, I did not expect to find an intentional act of charity in supporting Christian artists.
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