September 5, 2010
Source: The Boston Globe
Muslims observing the month of Ramadan give up eating and drinking during daylight hours every day for 30 days. And when Ramadan falls in the long days of summer, many give up half their sleep as well.
Facing up to 15 hours without food and water when Ramadan began at the height of summer last month, Muslims — including an estimated 70,000 in Massachusetts, most of them in the Boston area — wake well before sunrise to eat a light meal before the fast begins. And a daily routine that includes special Ramadan prayers and Koran recitations at night lasting from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. leaves little time for sleeping.