Far from home, Airmen and their families celebrate Ramadan

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Joe Kreidel
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  "It's like planning for Christmas while everyone else is going about their business," said Tech. Sgt. Angela Errahimi, a combat communications chief with the 909th Air Refueling Squadron, about preparing for Ramadan at Kadena Air Base. This same sense of dislocation is no doubt shared by many military members celebrating Ramadan in places like Okinawa where Islam is by far a minority religion. 

Ramadan, which began Aug. 22, is a 30-day fast during which devout Muslims abstain from food, drink, and sex from sunrise to sunset. Ramadan is the preeminent ritual in a faith that gives particular importance to its ritual observances. 

"Islam was something I was looking for - the mosque was so quiet and peaceful," said Sgt. Errahimi of her conversion six years ago. After meeting her now-husband, who is from Morocco, she studied at a mosque for one year prior to making her "shahada" or witness of faith. 

It was Islam's structure and emphasis on community that first appealed to Staff Sgt. Marvin Morris, an X-ray technician and the assistant NCOIC of radiology at the 18th Medical Operations Squadron. He called the daily regimen of five scheduled prayers "the military version of prayer." 

"The first few days of fasting are hard," said Sgt Morris. At Travis Air Force Base, where he was previously stationed, several non-Muslim friends attempted to join him in the fast; one friend made it one whole day. For Sgt. Morris, it's in large part the hardship of fasting that makes Ramadan so special: "That's what it's about. It's a cleansing process, a chance to focus inward and renew your commitment to Allah." 

The day's perseverance is rewarded come sunset, as "Iftar" - the evening meal at which each day's fast is broken - tends to be an extravagant affair. For a week leading up to Ramadan, Sgt. Errahimi and her husband, who have four children at home, prepared various dishes and pastries so as to have a stockpile once Ramadan actually began. Food preparation, too, is more difficult and requires more planning in Okinawa than in Washington, D.C., where the Errahimis lived previously. "Halal" meats are especially hard to come by. 

Ramadan will conclude Sept. 19 with "Eid," a major festival that traditionally involves a special public prayer, feasting, gift-giving, and visiting with family and friends. This communal, festive aspect of Ramadan may be somewhat lacking for Sgt. Morris this year, as he's new to the island and hasn't yet made many friends amongst the on-island Muslim community, miniscule compared to the one in northern California. 

In 2007, Sgt. Morris celebrated Ramadan at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. While there he worked the night shift, convenient because it allowed him to sleep during the day when he couldn't eat or drink. On multiple occasions he was able take "Iftar" with a group of Egyptian Muslims working in Afghanistan. "I loved it," he said, "It's a different culture, but we're connected by our shared faith. It's like a family away from family."