In the public schools, self-discipline is just one of several moral traits students learn in character education programs. That's because Ramadan, which begins this week, marks the lunar month when Muslims purify their souls and seek spiritual renewal by fasting from dawn to dusk.
Islamic teachings require adherents to begin fasting when they have reached the age of puberty.
But from the age of 7, children are urged to fast for shorter periods of time - proving to themselves, their family and their friends that they have some control over their bodies and their minds. Last week, the 200 students at this private Muslim school wrote essays on the subject of self-discipline and discussed the topic in class. Ziyad Yaghi, a seventh-grader, got up and told his classmates it means avoiding temptation. The students, in grades kindergarten through eight, were also reminded of the meaning of the fast, which ranks among the five pillars of the Muslim faith. Fasting, teacher Soad Elshafi explained to her fifth-grade class, is not just about controlling what goes into the mouth.