The Fasting Begins

Saturday marked the start of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. Ramadan is the fasting month and is a time for Muslims to better understand the plight of the poor by experiencing what hunger and thirst feels like. For the next month, Muslims will refrain from drinking, eating, and smoking from sunup to sundown. The official start and end of the day is announced for each region by the local religious leader.

Non-Muslim are asked to be sensitive to our Muslim colleagues who are fasting by not eating or drinking in front of them. The streets are already clear of the food vendors, many of whom would lose their customer base if they tried to sell food during the day. Even the restaurants have installed curtains that they will keep closed during the day so people walking on the street cannot see patrons inside the restaurant eating. Driving by a McDonalds with drawn curtains always seems a bit odd.

As a manager, I have to recognize that many on my staff are rising around 4 AM, or earlier, to eat as much as they can before the day begins. They will then refrain from eating all day until around 6 PM, when they will "break fast" and have a meal with other Muslims. Because of the long commute times, most employees just remain at the office and the break room becomes a loud cafeteria atmosphere after 6 PM. Fatigue can be a concern during the fasting month, so we try to maintain a tranquil, low stress environment (I wish I could to this all year!).

The real key to supporting Muslims during Ramadan is to not ask them to fast longer than they have to. This means recognizing that my driver will need a drink and some food around 6 PM, and scheduling my day around that need. Same thing is true with late-night meetings at work - plan on stopping so the Muslims can break their fast.

Ramadan will culminate with Lebaran, or Idul Fitri. This is a two day holiday at the end of the fasting and is the biggest Muslim holiday of the year. Those that can afford it 'pulang kampu', which means - "return to village", or, more directly, go home and visit the family. 70% of my staff will be off that week, and we plan our project schedules around it.