Ramadan is a special occasion for reflection and discipline when Muslims worldwide abstain from food, water, and sex from dawn to dusk for 30 days.

For some non-Muslim expats living in the UAE, fasting the month gives them a mix of feelings of inner peace, patience, spiritual well-being and even as a detox.

Dutch student Jayden Vermeulen, a student of year 10, is one of those fasting Ramadan. He is on his fourth year of fasting.

📚 Read Also: 40 Expats Convert to Islam During Mass Ramadan Iftar

“I look forward to this. Many of my friends are Muslims and I like to keep fast with them. It is my way of showing respect to the country where I live, the friends I have made. But more than anything, fasting helps me to slow down and have a lot of mental peace,” Vermeulen, 16, told Gulf News.

“I believe that if one can fast and not break it then we are mentally strong. It gives us confidence to achieve whatever we want.”

Gina Valbuena, a Christian Filipina expat in Dubai, is also fasting Ramadan.

“I have lived in the UAE from 2004. Ever since, I have made many Muslim friends. They have inspired me to keep fast,” Valbuena, who is an active member of her Dubai parish, said.

Valbuena, a salon and spa owner, said the month of Ramadan helps her build mental strength, patience, resistance.

“For Christians, the lent season is on. We give up something that we love a lot. But this time I decided to keep fast like the Muslims during Ramadan.”

📚 Read Also:  Ramadan 1444 Special Page: Spirituality, Tips, Fatwas and More

Understanding Ramadan

This Blackburn Non-Muslim Observes Ramadan Fasting for Charity

Zee Mashenge, 49, a secondary school teacher, said fasting during Ramadan is a great way to understand what Muslims feel during the month-long fast.

“When I fast for the first couple of days, I struggle with the fast. Then my body begins to feel so much lighter. My head clears up too. I enjoy the challenge and I love to see through the entire month. It allows me time to read my Bible, pray and meditate.”

“At the end of Ramadan, I not only feel like I have accomplished something for myself but I feel a lot healthier, lighter and happier within myself. It feels like a well needed detox.”

Indian expat Anuradha Kamath, a lifestyle coach, sees Ramadan as a month of total detox.

“One never can comprehend something completely unless they have experienced it. I began Ramadan fasting seven years ago. Seeing the enormous benefits it brought in, I decided to do it every year,” she said.

“Ramadan is a month that is a total detox of the body, mind, and emotions. The key is mindfulness. Fasting in Ramadan is not just restricting one’s self from eating and drinking throughout the day, but also, it is an entire system of being mindful of one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions too.”

Kamath said Ramadan helps her feel compassion for others, seeing the holy month as a beginning of positive changes in her life.

“It is a time when one moves into states of happiness and feels a lot of compassion for others. A world that practices Ramadan does not need peace committees. One notices great harmony and understanding between people during this month,” she said.

“One also feels accomplished that they could rise over their vices. I make Ramadan the point of beginning to bring in positive changes in my life and kick start good habits. I also find the strength to forgive and forget through the month and pray for all around me.”

Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, started on Thursday, March 23.

In Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.

Muslims dedicate their time during the holy month to be closer to Allah through prayers, self-restraint and good deeds.