'A trying time' at Ramadan for US Muslims

Washington -- When her family breaks the Ramadan fast after sundown, look for Samira Hussein to serve her teenage kids American standards like pasta or sandwiches.

Hussein, a Palestinian who lost her home after the 1967 Middle East war, has not forgotten the traditional fare such as dates. But 34 years in the US and four US-born children leave their mark, also during the Muslim holy month.

"We love pasta. My children can have lasagne any time - tuna sandwiches. If I had to cook Arabic food all day, I don't think I could do anything else," said 52-year-old Hussein with a chuckle.

Like millions of Muslims, this suburban Washington activist for interfaith understanding meshes her daily life with the culture of the US, a nation founded on the notion of religious freedom.

But scratch the surface and a more complicated picture emerges, one of enduring suspicion toward Islam since the Sep 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and of Muslims determined to win acceptance.

On one level, Ramadan means the practical problem of fasting and praying during daytime for an entire month in a nation where people work some of the longest hours in the industrialised world.

Habib Ghanim Sr, a Washington-based trade consultant for Arab countries, can set his schedule around the Quran's prescriptions, including Friday prayers, because he is the boss. Other working Muslims are not so lucky.

"Some, they sneak out. Some call in sick and some work extra hours afterward," he said.

Hussein, a school-district employee who educates teachers on Islam, may go to her car to pray if she cannot find privacy in her office. She campaigns against intolerance of Islam, speaking at many public events in Montgomery County, a region of nearly one million people north of Washington.

But she worries about her two teenage children who also observe Ramadan's dawn-to-dusk ban on food and drink.

"That affects their school performance because they don't sleep enough," she said. At school, they "get thirsty more than hungry", prompting complaints from some people she meets that Islam's rules are cruel, she said.

This year, Ramadan collided with the date of an important pre-university placement test at schools across the US. Hussein asked school officials to let her 17-year-old son take the exam after Ramadan, but was told there would be no exceptions.

Such moments make her feel that public acceptance of US Muslims lags their growing numbers, in this case because Christian and Jewish holidays are more widely observed.

"Our children are born here," Hussein said. "They aren't different, but they feel different."

But she has decided to keep them in public schools. "It's their country. They grew up here," she said. "It's the only country they know."

That country has struggled with its Muslim citizens and residents since 19 Islamic extremists carried out the worst terror attack on US soil five years ago. Anger simmers on both sides of the divide.

Last month, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations reported that complaints of hate crimes, harassment and discrimination against Muslims in the US rose by nearly 30 percent last year to more than 2,100.

As they celebrate Ramadan, US Muslims are taking steps to fit in and make their voices heard.

A North American council of Islamic scholars this year approved shifting from lunar observation to a firm astronomical calendar for setting religious holidays.

Muslims hope the standardised, long-term calendar will help them lobby school boards, employers and other official bodies to recognise Islamic holidays.

Community leaders are also trying to get out the Muslim vote for Nov 7 - US Congressional elections. The topic came up after recent Friday prayers at the Islamic Society of the Washington Area, a mosque and community centre near the capital.

Ahmed Said, a 26-year-old accounting student from Gambia, said it is "a trying time" for US Muslims. But he also sees a positive side.

"Because now people have gotten to know more about Islam. It's a topic of discussion in America," he said. "I guess there's a growing awareness."

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on a trip to Egypt during Ramadan, praised Muslims as "contributing Americans" and called Islam "a great religion".