Sept. 23 marked the beginning of the Muslim holiday Ramadan. While most school families watched the day come and go without much notice, the Eltorais celebrated it as the start of a month of fasting.

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, is important because it is the month in which the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad.

“Fasting is intended to exercise restraint and to understand what is taken for granted,” said Mahmoud Eltorai, father of junior Omar, freshman Zach and Adam, ’06.

Dr. Eltorai was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, before emigrating to the United States with his parents at age 15.

He told his wife, J.P., before they married, that he would want to raise their children as Muslim.

As a Islamic family living in a non-Islamic culture, the Eltorais feel that fasting is a way to connect to their culture.

“It’s something that I can actually do,” Omar said. “It’s hard to do things like pray five times a day in a non-Muslim community.”

While Mrs. Eltorai never converted, she fasts, too. “It’s extremely important to be a role model for my family,” she said.

Fulfilling the task means that the Eltorais must fast from sunrise to sundown—beginning at about 5:30 a.m. and going until around 7 p.m. This includes all liquids as well.

“My mom wakes up in the morning [about 5 a.m.] to make us a big breakfast,” Zach said. While their meal varies, the Eltorais tend to eat some sort of protein and bread. “I had an egg burrito today,” Zach said.

Getting ready for a day of fasting doesn’t revolve so much around food, but around water. “It’s not that hard; you just get really thirsty,” Zach said at an interview during lunch, adding that he wasn’t very hungry.

Omar said that he drinks so much before dawn that he’s “almost regurgitating water by the end of the meal [so that I can stay hydrated for the day].”

While all of the Eltorais agree that fasting becomes easier as they get older, there are certain things that make it more difficult to fast because they are in a non-Muslim community.

“In [Muslim] cultures, families go back to sleep after they eat [before work] and take naps during the day. But life goes on normally here. I still work and exercise,” Mrs. Eltorai said.

In addition, everyone in the community isn’t participating in the fast.

“The first time I did it, it was difficult for people to understand that I couldn’t drink water,” Omar said. “People would [jokingly] try and come up with creative ways to get me to drink.”

When Omar would tell his friends that he couldn’t eat until dark, they’d respond, “Why not go into a dark room?”

The Quran doesn’t specify when to start fasting, but states that if people are able they should participate. The Eltorai boys said that they attempted the fast for many years, but didn’t make through the entire day until middle school.

While Zach felt it was awkward as well, everyone was supportive. “ [Freshman] Marco [Siragusa] would try to fast with me, but by lunch he would be like ‘Zach I can’t take it,’” he said.

Despite the religious importance of fasting, the Eltorais are very conscious of the health risks involved. Both boys may choose not to fast when they have a soccer game.

“My parents are really relaxed [and let us take days off],” Zach said, explaining that on the first day he got sick and dehydrated.

Omar has also become more aware of what his body needs after passing out one day after soccer practice last year.

Whenever days are skipped for sports practices, sickness or travel, they are simply made up at the end.

By the end of the day, aren’t they starving and ready to eat anything?

“It really isn’t that dramatic,” Omar said.

“The last few minutes we’re all relaxing and not thinking about it, so it isn’t that big of a deal. We usually break the fast with dates because that is what the prophet did.”

For Adam ’06, this Ramadan was a new experience because he was doing it without his family.

Now that he attends Washington University in St. Louis, he doesn’t have someone making breakfast for him each morning.

So the first day he woke up and had two Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

Adam has not found it that difficult, though, just different.

“As a college student, you become nocturnal and are actually awake during most hours that you can eat—which seems to make the fasting even easier,” he said.

The advantage of being at a college means that he can join the Muslim Student Association. “It’s nice to know that other people are experiencing fasting,” he said.

Since the start of Ramadan, Adam has broken fast a few times with the association, and it held a fast-a-thon in which non-Muslims fasted as well.

Beyond fasting, Ramadan has certain holy days that make the month even more important.

According to the Quran, on the 27th night of Ramadan, or the Night of Power (Lailat ul-Qadr), a prayer is a thousand times stronger than any other day.

“We always try to pray that day, since we can’t pray as much usually,” Omar said.

Despite the added work and preparation that comes with Ramadan, all the Eltorais feel that the month is a special one. “[The dinners] are a wonderful time because we have all waited,” Mrs. Eltorai said. “It’s very special for everyone to come together. It’s great family time.”