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By Manya A. Brachear
Tribune staff reporter
October 27, 2003
Zubeda Kaleem will spend the Muslim holy month of Ramadan surrounded by glazed crullers,
cream-filled pastries and strawberry-frosted eclairs.
But Kaleem, 27, manager of Dunkin' Donuts at Western and Devon Avenues, will not be
tempted by the treats.
She will draw from a spiritual strength cultivated since she began abiding by the
monthlong Ramadan fast at the age of 7. Kaleem says the only nourishment she needs is God.
For the next 29 days, many Muslims will eat and drink according to Allah's schedule, while
holding jobs serving hungry customers, taste-testing recipes and stuffing grocery bags.
For Muslim restaurateurs and other culinary professionals surrounded daily by the very
thing that is forbidden, Ramadan is not a test of faith. It is an opportunity to
illustrate it, focus more intensely on God and reap the rewards.
The first sighting of the new moon Sunday designated Monday as the first day of Ramadan,
the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. For 29 days Muslims will seek redemption and
purification by fasting from sunrise to sunset.
The fast precludes eating and drinking, smoking and sex. It also rules out the use of foul
language and the expression of extreme emotions such as anger.
"It's not a fast to be hungry," said Amir Mithwani, the former owner of a
Popeye's Chicken. "It is a fast of your eyes, ears, nose, tongue. You get a kind of
satisfaction."
Kaleem, who begins baking doughnuts at 5 a.m., said satisfaction should not be mistaken
for will power.
"If you can control your tongue, you can control anything," she said. "If
you speak bad, you hurt others. If you eat bad, you hurt yourself."
The regimen of Ramadan goes beyond restraint. Muslims recite and read the Koran, the holy
book, which Muslims believe was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad during Ramadan.
Those who fall short of praying five times a day year-round make a special effort to do so
during the holy month. They also give to charity.
The fast does not require starvation. Before sunrise, Muslims eat a light breakfast called
suhur.
And when they break their fast at sundown, they follow the example of the Prophet
Muhammad, who ended each day with milk and dates.
They then share iftar, the evening meal, with family and friends.
Many halal cafes, which serve food meeting Islamic dietary laws, will have special hours
during the month to give their employees time during the day to fulfill their Ramadan
requirements.
But even those establishments will open their kitchens early to prepare the evening meal.
Many of them will offer iftar free to customers on the go when it's time to break the
fast.
Serving halal cuisine is considered a good deed, said Muhammad Chaudry, director of the
Chicago-based Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America. The recipient does not have
to be needy in order for God to bless the chef.
Musharruf Shah, one of three brothers who own the Sonargaon Restaurant, a Bangladeshi
bistro on West Devon Avenue, said he wants to serve cabdrivers and area merchants unable
to take part in the evening iftar meal because of their jobs.
"Most of them are bachelors. They don't have time to cook," Shah said.
Unlike at many restaurants in predominantly Muslim neighborhoods, Shah plans to stay open
during the day to serve non-Muslim lunch and dinner crowds. In the United States, it's
difficult to close when restaurants next door are packed.
Farouqe Sardharia, 19, said his family's restaurant, Lal Qila on Western Avenue, also will
stay open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., although he expects daytime business to be slow.
Because of the late nights, Sardharia often sleeps late rather than eating a suhur.
The only effort he will have to make in the kitchen is controlling his temper.
"I can't be perfect," he said, showing off a scar made by a hot oven rack that
morning.
Raised Muslim, he has fasted since he was a boy.
"It makes me feel like a better person," Sardharia said of the fast. "It
makes our self-esteem better. It makes us better Muslims."
A convert to Islam, Labrena Rent-Abu Bakkah, 27, a manager at Fox & Obel Food Market
on the Near North Side, has observed four Ramadans, and this will be her first amid the
temptations of a gourmet grocery.
"Every hour should be focused on being Godly," she said. "Being that you're
fasting, it makes you more humble."
Accidents do happen, said Chaudry, a former taste-tester at Heller Seasonings, a Chicago
spicemaker.
When one errs, the solution is simple. Apologize to God.
Copyright © 2003, Chicago Tribune