First of all, if you don\u2019t know what an Iftar<\/strong> is, I\u2019ll tell you: that\u2019s the daily break of the fast for Muslims who are living the Ramadan.<\/strong> In this celebration they generally use to eat some dates and milk, because this was the food that the prophet Mohammed used to eat in this special time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s the meaning of the fast for Muslims? It\u2019s a way to achieve the consciousness of God!<\/strong> Indeed, when you fast, you are aware of your weaknesses and that you need the God\u2019s gifts to live your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Usually, nowadays we look at the fast as strange practice. Maybe we consider it some middle-age custom too far from us. But it\u2019s meaning still have relevance for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The world is living a big fast with this pandemic and all of us are becoming aware that alone we can\u2019t do anything. We are all connected and we need the help and the presence of the others to be alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ll tell you a story to better express this idea. This story is about a Muslim kid very special, who taught me to be more open mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n His name is Abdou, 16 year\u2019s old<\/strong>, but when I met him for the first time, he said he was 18. This age in Italy \u2013 the country where he is still living \u2013 is the age of the maturity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Abdou I had one of the most powerful meeting in my life: He is Muslim<\/strong>, as his family is; every Friday he use to go to the Koranic school, and he lives his five prayer\u2019s time regularly. However, I met him for the first time in a Catholic community<\/strong> where I was working as missionary student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He used to come to all our youth meetings;<\/strong> he was the most constant of his peers. One day I asked him: \u201cAbdou, but what your family think about you coming here in a Catholic church?\u201d<\/strong> and not surprised of my question he answered me: \u201cThey don\u2019t know I come here!\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cThey don\u2019t know?\u201d \u2013 I replied \u2013 \u201cI usually tell them that I\u2019m going to my basketball training\u2026 please, come with me, I\u2019ll show you something\u2026\u201d \u2013 he had taken me to the basement of the church and he showed me a big sports bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was really impressed: so, for all this time was he lying to their parents to visit our community? But why? I had asked him and he said to me: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHere there is a family, I have my friends, I\u2019m Muslim and I\u2019m happy to be that, I love my faith, I don\u2019t want to become Cristian, but here there is a family and I need it!\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>Abdou a 16 years old kid<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n What he found there? Abdou was looking for freedom<\/strong>? Maybe, indeed, one time he said to me: \u201cI want to study in a technical school but my father want that I take a different high school\u2026 so, in the morning I go to that one and in the night I\u2019m following classes in a technical one\u201d. This was a 16 years old kid!<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Abdou gave me the most impressive teaching during the time of Ramadan:<\/strong> we had our usually youth gathering as every month and we used to have a dinner together. Abdou came<\/strong>, as usually, at that meeting, because we were his family as he liked to say. But it was Ramadan for him<\/strong>\u2026 I was impressed that he was delighted, enjoying the meeting but he hadn\u2019t eaten anything and the other youth respected his choice to live his Ramadan.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/missionoutlook.xaverians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/turkish-mocha-1098830_1920-1024x683.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/missionoutlook.xaverians.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/team-386673_1920-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhat Abdou can teach us: that we can really live together as a family, it doesn\u2019t matter who we are; which is our religion, race, body color or beliefs\u2026 Whoever we are, we are all called to become one family!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n