Ramadan for (Corporate) Dummies
Unlike the famous collection of “For Dummies” books, this blog post doesn’t serve as a “How to guide for non-Muslims. Please see here and here for your a quick and comedic introduction to the do’s and don’ts during Ramadan for your Muslim colleagues.
Rather, this post is about observing Ramadan as a Muslim in the corporate environment. As a fresh 22year-old graduate, I opted to observe Ramadan at work under a cloak of silence. I never hid that I was fasting, but on the other hand I was never forthright about it unless specifically asked.
Perhaps I was weary of standing out as the new guy. Within my division, I was already a minority in many ways — being young, black and Muslim. The larger reason for my silence was the lack of desire to explain, answer questions, and deal with the unavoidable ignorance at times. Like most things in life, it was easier to remain silent and not draw attention to myself. Before my first corporate experience; I was an engineering student within a diverse cohort where I didn’t have to explain Ramadan. Instead, amongst my classmates, Ramadan was spent sharing communal challenges and stories.
After a few years at work, I came across a larger contingent of Muslims outside my core division. This led to participating, in various roles, in the annual company Eid Lunch charity event. The event exposed me to a new way of observing Ramadan in the corporate environment. One that involved being vocal about the purpose of the month and using Ramadan as a platform to help raise funds for local charities. As I’ve moved into other divisions within the company, I’ve noticed the lasting and positive impact the Eid Lunch event has had on creating a culture of acceptance and understanding. Just the other day, I mentioned to a new colleague that I was fasting, and they immediately connected it to Ramadan and spoke about the challenges with the long days.
I was connected to and drawn to volunteer with Project Ramadan through a good friend. Like the Eid Lunch charity event, Project Ramadan serves as another great initiative to educate and promote the positives of Ramadan while raising funds for charity. The event was filled with Muslims, non-Muslims, local businesses and law enforcement all tackling a larger community issue under the umbrella of Ramadan. Given the current political climate, we as Muslims, have to take advantage of opportunities to script our own narratives. By doing so, we can create narratives that are rooted in truths; ones that highlight the virtues of our religion; and help bridge the gaps of ignorance and misunderstanding. My advice to my fellow brothers and sisters is to observe Ramadan in the corporate environment with a sense of responsibility. Don’t view the questions as a burden on your day, but rather an opportunity to share with someone the virtues of the religion you find so uplifting. I encourage you to find a way to integrate Ramadan into your corporate culture, be it an Eid Lunch or another mechanism. If that’s too big of a first step, I encourage to you participate with Project
Ramadan to see firsthand what actively participating during Ramadan looks like.
Abdulkarim Mohamed is passionate about international trade and supporting sustainable economic growth initiatives. Living, studying and travelling to over 25 countries; Abdul uses his education and international exposure to lead multi-million dollar capital projects to help small and medium enterprises develop capacity building growth strategies.
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