In our first interview with a teacher from the Islamic Center of Long Island, we learned a great deal of new material. We found a new, interesting example of phases, which is the phases of fasting, which occurs in the month of Ramadan in the Islamic Religion. Nazli,  the woman we interviewed, explained that the children are expected to participate in fasting, attending services, and continuously praying once they hit puberty. This is around the age of thirteen. Nazli also explained to us that the age of puberty is decreasing greatly. This means that children are beginning to become responsible for participating in the Islamic religion at earlier ages. She explained that the fasting really isn’t as bad as most people make it seem. We found it interesting when she was saying that every time you fast, it gets easier and easier, meaning it’s a lot easier for adults than for children. Also, she said that starvation is a sad, yet fulfilling feeling. The people who fast are able to relate to the many people all around the world who don’t even know when they will consume their next meal. Studies show now that one in ten people on Long Island are hungry—hungry meaning they are unsure of when they will receive their next meal. This is definitely a rough statistic. 

Throughout the interview, we all gained a great amount of respect for the Islamic culture and religion. As long as you have a job, you are required to give 2% of your earnings to charity. The Jewish religion believes in Tzedakah. However, this is not as mandatory as giving alms. Lastly, Nazli explained that if one does not fulfill their duty, they will be punished. She did add, however, that the intention is greater than the definite action. For example, if someone makes their plans to travel to Mecca to fulfill their duty, but something unfortunate comes up, it still "counts" as fulfilling a duty due to the intention. This shows that God is understanding and forgiving, just as Nazli emphasized.