To the millions of people (mostly Americans in the rust belt, I'd say) who know little to nothing about Islam, it would be forgivable for them to assume that Ramadan, the Muslim month of charity, piety and fasting, is actually all about weeding out terrorists who would kill Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
If there was ever a statement by a nation's leader devoid of any grace, it would have to President Trump's Ramadan message. See here https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/05/26/statement-president-donald-j-trump-ramadan
Ramadan for the majority of the world's 1.7 billion Muslims is not a political event. It is a spiritual one in which we struggle and strive to become better human beings.
My own struggle begins in the weeks running up to the first day of Ramadan. It is a mental preparation, an endless state of worrying about how I will cope with the deprivation of sustenance to my body. How low will my sugar levels drop? Will I become cranky, rude and impatient, all of which are heavily frowned upon in Ramadan.
The fast is not just about rejecting food and water from sunrise to sunset. It actually requires the Muslim to reject anger, and unkind words and thoughts. Backbiting, lying and swearing are not allowed; all of which are considered sinful in the Quran.
Ramadan is the month to purify the soul and to seek a closer relationship with God by reflecting in our behaviour the three names by which He is most referred to in the Quran:
The Kind. The Merciful. The Generous.
The Muslim has to be kind to parents, to the elderly, to the sick and to young children. We have to pay 2.5% of our total savings and wealth annually to the poor and the orphans which is called Zakat (which we do in Ramadan for its increased blessings). A Muslim is not permitted to live well without responsibility to the poor. It is a non-negotiable requirement of Islam. A pillar.
The Charity Commission revealed that British Muslims donated £100 million during Ramadan 2016 which ran from 5 June until 5 July. (These are just the UK's Muslims who number less than three million and are 5% of the total population) See here https://charitycommission.blog.gov.uk/2016/07/14/ramadan-making-a-real-difference/
This is on top of all the legal tax we pay in the country we call home.
Ramadan is about becoming a better human being. A generous one. A kind one. A merciful one.
Three traits that we have yet to see in President Trump.