Closer to God

It was during Ramadan last year that Deanna Wathen took the "shahada" vow to become a Muslim, willingly taking on the self-discipline the faith requires and finding peace and maturity in the process.

Muslims are now in the midst of the holy month of Ramadan, which started June 29. In remembrance of when God first revealed the Quran to the prophet Muhammad, Muslims fast from sunup to sundown, dedicate more time to prayer — beyond the regular prayers five times a day — and take part in charity-giving.

"It’s about the Muslim community getting back to its roots because throughout the rest of the year, we’re kinda struggling," said Wathen, 19, who was born in California and raised in Hawaii. "We have our jobs, we kinda skip prayers, but when Ramadan comes it’s like we can get into high gear and we’re 100 percent there."

Before taking her vow to Islam last summer, "I was cool with going out and listening to rock music and parties and all this stuff," Wathen said. "With Islam you kinda have to be more disciplined. I mean, you can go to the beach and have parties and stuff. At the same time, when I’m out, I have to behave a certain way because I wear the headscarf (hijab) and that makes me kind of a representative of Islam."

These days, Wathen said, she has no regrets, noting that the changes she’s seen in herself have been mostly behavioral.

"I am happier — that’s one thing!" she said.

Ismail Elshikh is the imam or leader of the Muslim Association of Hawaii’s mosque in Manoa where Wathen was first introduced to Islam through a member there. During Ramadan, Elshikh is at the mosque every night, leading special "tara­weeh" prayers and reciting sections of the Quran so that the entire holy book is read by the end of the month. The daylong fast is broken at sunset with the traditional dates and milk, a meal he refers to as "breakfast," literally meaning "to break the fast."

"Fasting is not just a matter of food and drink only; it’s fasting from bad habits and false talk," he said.

Wathen said, "Fasting is for the purpose of understanding what it’s like not to have everything, so we know what it’s like to be poor and hungry. But it’s also a chance to be closer to God. We spend all day reading Quran and being closer to him."

She added, "When I first started fasting, I thought, ‘Why would Muslims want to do this to themselves — it’s terrible!’ But then we go to the mosque at the end of the day and we break our fast, and it’s just a really nice feeling. It’s beautiful."

Elshikh said sometimes a family or group of friends organize to feed up to 200 at the mosque. At home women plan nutritious food for the 4 a.m. meal eaten before a long day of fasting, and special foods for dinner, so Ramadan "is a good time for the family to come together to eat," he said.

Wathen, who still lives at home with her family, said she was raised to be a Christian but that her family wasn’t devout. Her introduction to Islam started five years ago when she became best friends in high school with a Muslim, who invited her to the mosque during Rama­dan. She began hanging out there but wasn’t interested in the religion. As time went on, mosque members became like family to Wathen, and gradually she learned more about Islam and began practicing its rituals.

Wathen said her family did not object to her conversion and that the attacks launched by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaida in New York and the Washington, D.C., area on Sept. 11, 2001, had no bearing on her decision. While wearing a hijab during visits to the mainland, Wathen said, she has encountered some prejudice, but in Hawaii, "nobody has given me a hard time."

Wathen has learned to read the Quran in Arabic, and picked up the basic language quickly during volunteer work at the mosque — "I love working with the kids," she said, adding that her college major will probably be early childhood education.

Knowing she must set a good example as a Muslim, Wathen said she has made strides in her interaction with family members. "When I’m angry I can’t throw a fit." Also, her work with kids "requires a lot of patience — and I’m able to do it, which is surprising. A lot of people don’t recognize me!"

Elshikh said of the mosque’s 400 members, about 15 to 20 converts to Islam from all ethnic backgrounds regularly attend services.

"When you become Muslim, we forget where you come from; we deal with each other as brothers and sisters," he said.

He said his religion tries "to make the life of people easy — anything that’s difficult, you can find a solution to in the Quran," and it balances spirituality with the practical.

"A person feels support and tranquility if he comes close to Islam, (which teaches) how to live, enjoy life, be successful and be a good servant of God," he said.