Mariana da Silva is Catholic, but this year is observing the month of fasting undertaken by Muslims worldwide. It's a growing trend, finds Tahmina Begum Mariana Da Silva, is a 21-year-old law student at Aston University in Birmingham. She is not Muslim – she is in fact, Catholic – but this year has decided to observe thealongside her Muslim friends.
“We have been friends since the first year of university and they never asked me to join or even implied I should take part, it was my decision to participate.” In the previous two years, she says she had seen how much unity and community her friends enjoyed during the 30-day fasting period, which is undertaken by nearly two billion people worldwide and sees participants not eat between a meal at sunrise (suhoor) and at sundown (iftar). “I really appreciated it last year; seeing my friends go out for iftar, wake up for suhoor or even just staying awake all night with them. I was curious about what it would be like but never took part. “This year I decided I would, not only to experience what it’s like to go through the day without food and drink but also witness the beneficial health effects it has.” Sincestarted on the evening of Sunday 10 March, she has been breaking her fast with her best friend Alisha, who is Muslim. “ I’ve been running to water, drinking a whole one-litre bottle and then eating a Palestinian date