![Incoming Student Union President junior Aki Bejamin and other SU candidates sitting on stage while waiting to give their speeches during the May 18 SU Debate. Aki said he plans to “burn [the SU] all down and start anew.”](https://thhsclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_9600-e1782439128607-1200x1131.jpg)
Due to the Islamic calendar, Ramadan dates migrate every year, affecting fasting practices for Muslims annually. This year, participating Muslims have been observing Ramadan from February 17 to March 19, and for members of the THHS community, the timing of the fast can impact their school lives significantly.
The Classic asked Muslim students and staff of Townsend Harris High School how fasting can affect their work at THHS and how fasting during the winter or the summer impacts them differently.
In the summer, Muslims are obligated to fast for longer hours due to daylight savings, but students may sleep through a portion of fasting. In contrast, the winter requires less fasting hours, but is generally paired with more academic stress.
“I much prefer Ramadan in the summer. It gets really hard to focus in school when you’re fasting, so I prefer being out of school,” senior Thaseena Anjum, the co-president of the THHS Muslim Students’ Association, said. “I would much rather spend that time with my family and friends. Not to mention, the food tastes so much better at iftar in the summertime.”
On the other hand, freshman Khandaker Rahman said she prefers to fast in cooler weather because it’s easier to manage thirst and hunger throughout the day. She said, “While everyone is entitled to their opinions, I believe fasting during winter for me is the best. Since winter days are short…the fasting time is also shorter.”
Similarly, Assistant Principal of STEM Abid Choudhury said he likes the shorter days of winter. “In the summer, the days are much longer. Sunrise will sometimes be before 4 AM, and sunset will be past 8 PM, so it’s a longer fast,” he said. “In the smallest chunk of the winter, like December, it’ll be from 6 AM to 4 PM, so it’s a much shorter fasting period.”
Regardless of when Ramadan falls in the calendar year, students agree on its significance.
“The main focus isn’t necessarily about fasting,” freshman Amin Eladlouni said. “It’s more about getting close to Allah by praying more and being a better person (fasting is still required of course).”
“We use this time to purify our hearts by repenting, as well as strengthening our relationship to our religion and God,” Thaseena said. “We believe this is a time of forgiveness and that you are more rewarded for your good deeds, so we try to pray more, read more Quran, fast, and give in charity during this month.”
“Ramadan is about patience and learning to experience what others experience as well, because there are a lot of people out there that don’t have a lot of the opportunities we have,” said freshman Farzana Muskan.
