Muslims prepare for holy month starting tonight

Stacy J. Willis

Monday, Nov. 27, 2000 | 11:36 a.m.

Muslims will be looking for the new moon tonight, which will signal the beginning of the holiest month of the Islamic lunar year, Ramadan.

Muslims believe their holy book, the Koran, was revealed to the prophet Mohammed 1,400 years ago during Ramadan.

The devout will abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex between sunrise and sunset for the entire month.

"It is a wonderful part of our religion -- it is a time when we focus on praying and trying to be humble and honest and disciplined," said Khalid Khan, president of the Islamic Cultural Center of Las Vegas.

There are about 9,000 Muslims in Las Vegas -- filling three mosques, a fledgling Muslim student organization on the UNLV campus and the Islamic cultural center.

Nationwide, Muslims number roughly 4 million -- up from 800,000 only 30 years ago. Worldwide, there are more than a billion Muslims, according to the National Conference of Community and Justice.

The Las Vegas Muslim population is characterized by its cultural diversity -- converted Americans of all races, from many faiths, join lifelong Muslim Ethiopians, Bosnians, Palestinians, Moroccans and others in weekly prayer.

"The Muslim community in Las Vegas is probably 60 percent immigrant population and 40 percent indigenous," said Mujahid Ramadan, a Muslim leader in Las Vegas who converted from Baptist Christianity more than 20 years ago. "But during Ramadan, we are all of Islam."

Islam began about 1,400 years ago and is the youngest of the world's largest religions. In Arabic, "Islam" means to surrender to God (Allah). A "Muslim" is one who surrenders his life to the will of God.

"Anybody can go in any mosque. We are an open community," Muslim Syed Haseebullah said.

Muslims believe that the prophet Muhammad received divine revelation from Allah in Saudi Arabia beginning in the 6th century, and that the Koran (Qur'an) is that sacred scripture. They believe in only one God, and that He created the universe and sustains and judges it. In the Islamic faith, humanity was created for only one purpose: to serve God.

To Muslims, the Koran is confirmed by, and confirms, the Torah and the gospels of Jesus. They believe that all true prophets have delivered essentially the same message of love, but they reject the notion that Jesus died to save humanity. Instead, they believe that every individual is personally responsible to God.

The Las Vegas Islamic Center and Jama Mosque opened in 1997 after years on the drawing board. Located on East Desert Inn Road, the center is a modest white building adorned with Arabic script and arabesque arches.

Before stepping inside, Muslims remove their shoes and wash their hands, face and feet in a display of reverence. Women cover their heads with a scarf as a sign of modesty.

Devout Muslims subscribe to five commandments, called the Five Pillars of Islam: There is one god, Allah, and Muhammad was his prophet.

Prayer should be performed five times a day -- before sunrise, at midday, in the late afternoon, at sunset, and at night. A zakat, or 2.5 percent tax on annual income, should be paid to help the needy.

If possible, at least once in a lifetime, Muslims should make the pilgrimage to Mecca. And each year, Muslims should fast during the ninth month of the Islam lunar calendar, Ramadan.

"Ramadan is a central part of our faith. Especially in a culture like America, we are so consumer-oriented that it seems appropriate to take a vacation from indulgence once in a while," Muslim Mujahid Ramadan said.

"Ramadan helps you understand what it is like not to have everything."