to fast during Ramadan even though I'm not a Muslim...

[MrsStrawberry]

Not Muslim, or even religious at all in general. Have many Muslim friends and whilst never tempted to take part before have recently been looking into it more and like the idea behind it... But don't want to mention it to anyone as I think I sound like a pretentious twat

[PyjamasLlamas]

I really need someone to explain to me what is soooo pretentious about fasting

[WorraLiberty]

If you want to fast then do it, otherwise don't. It doesn't matter to anyone else

This ^^ in spades.

Although for some unfathomable reason it matters enough for the OP to name change and start a thread

Remind me to start a thread asking random internet stranger's opinions on whether I should have toad in the hole for dinner tomorrow, or steak and chips.

But please remind me to change my nick name first so that I remain totally anonymous, whilst posing such a pointless question to Mumsnet....

[CaoNiMa]

I love the idea of this! I was thinking of doing it myself, and this OP has inspired me to do it next year.

[TheNewStatesman]

I was once on a long-distance flight and was sitting next to a guy who was fasting for Ramadan. I was curious about what he would do about the time difference....

Anyway--fast if you want to, but it seems like a silly thing to do if you are not Muslim. Not sure that going without food or water for so long is particularly healthy.

[Mrscog]

I think it sounds like a good idea, and I would think you were pretentious, just a bit eccentric. Plenty of non Christians have a bash at Lent, so why not with other religious occasions. Good luck.

[Atenco]

What on earth is pretentious about it? I am hopeless at fasting personally, but I love Islam. I'm glad you have people that you can eat with in the night, OP.

[alrayyan]

What's nice about Ramadan is that people try not to be judgemental, unkind and uncharitable. The person who forwarded this to her Muslim friend who hooted with laughter and called the OP a pretentious twat is one themselves and if it's true, which I seriously doubt, the friend is not practicing Islam correctly.
I have lived in Islamic countries for more years than not in 40 years of life and have tried the odd day. Most places have reduced working hours. In Qatar I have never heard of kids fasting before they are older (after first period for girls, 10 - 12 years for boys) and the doctors here sign them off at the first sign of any problems. We still have PE and outside breaks and it is in the 50s.

[SophieHatters]

It's difficult to gauge because your friends are Muslim and that might make a big difference in this instance.

Only you can say if it will come across as sympathetic or as pretentious.

I think though if you like the idea of fasting then do it on your own terms - not as part of a religious 'lifestyle' for want of a better word - as to do that while ignoring the rest of the requirements of the religion, or the deeper meanings behind it, seems both patronising and rather facile.

It's a little bit like saying 'Oh I'm not a Muslim but I like that gowny thing they wear so I'm going to get myself one'.

So either fast or don't fast, but under your own steam and not just at Ramadan; join in in 'sympathy' if you wish, but please don't take bits of a religion and appropriate themselves for your own purposes as there's kind of no point in that and it's a little bit offensive possibly?

I'm not Muslim btw so this is just my view as an outsider.

[SophieHatters]

Also as an addendum - I don't really know how Islam compares to Christianity tbh so the whole Lent/Christmas thing seems like a different issue to me - I tend to think of certain Christian festivals as pinched from the Pagans anyway as they make sense in terms of the time of year etc.

If Ramadan is also an ancient thing nicked from pre-Islam times that's been appropriated then no, yanbu at all.

[alrayyan]

like Christmas, we all get the Eid holidays here, plus the gifts and invites to various celebrations. I go and I am not a Muslim. I love Christmas too and I am not a Christian. Anything that brings people together and promotes tolerance and thoughtfulness is a good thing. only the bitter old housewives of MN could twist something essentially good into a nasty sneer.

[chickenschicken]

Newstatesman he would have been exempt whilst travelling, especially across time zones.

[NRomanoff]

One of my best friend is Muslim and I do a day of fasting each week during Ramadan, he invited me too. Due to my job I can't do it everyday and am not Muslim. Dh also joins me. My friend loves that we do it and I have never met a Muslim who is offended or thinks I am trying to pretend to be Muslim.

[NRomanoff]

Oh and he also gives things up for lent, would not occur to me to think he was pretentious.

I ce across loads of people giving stuff up for lent that weren't catholoc and had not idea what lent was actually about...again, as a catholic, not offended

[Isetan]

I celebrate Christmas and love singing Christmas carols and gift giving but I am an atheist, does that make me a pretentious twat? Or is only pretentious twatery, for non believers selectively following aspects of non Christian festivals?

Some of the responses on this thread have been very .

[patterkiller]

I really don't see what's pretentious about it, unless you tell everyone you meet that your fasting for Ramadan accompanied with a head tilt and cow eyes then finish off with a flourish fist pump for solidarity.

[DoraMarstellar]

Awful to inflict this on children.

[patterkiller]

dora It would of been part of their life and culture of everyone around them since they were born. And certainly not expected until they are teens. inflict on children

[TTWK]

Why not just give something up for Lent?!

Yeah, like Christmas pudding.

[SophieHatters]

I think personally not understanding the reasons behind it or subscribing to them, I would feel uncomfortable to do it.

It would feel disrespectful.
That's all - but then I'm not Muslim so don't know what the opinion of someone of the faith would be.

[purdiepie]

I celebrate Christmas and love singing Christmas carols and gift giving but I am an atheist, does that make me a pretentious twat?

No, but it does make you a hypocrite.

[msrisotto]

Does it make someone a hypocrite? To take part in the traditions they have been brought up in? Should atheists emancipate ourselves from our culture?

[msrisotto]

I won't get into how christmas is not a christian celebration but pagan.

[IUseAnyName]

Chritmas is a winter festival from the romans. Nothing christian about it. The romans were about before the imaginary friends appeared.

[TTWK]

If taking part in Xmas makes an atheist a hypocrite, then I assume every time a Christian uses the word Thursday, they too are a hypocrite. After all, it's a day named after another god and we all know how jealous the Christian god is. I think about the first 4 or the 10 commandments are all about him and how he's the only god and you should have no other.

Xmas is a cultural thing. Taking part in gift swapping and stuffing your face with Newberry Fruits does not make you a hypocrite. Going to midnight mass probably would make you a hypocrite, but not all the cultural stuff around it.

[sashh]

EhricLovesTheBhrothers the one in August, I was teaching an employability course and the one Muslim woman on it was really suffering.

It didn't help that the room we were in had lots of windows that you can't open. She did eventually break her fast because she was becoming ill.

OP
Lots of people fast for a variety of reasons. I think choosing Ramadan in a year when it is in summer is a poor choice for a first fast, you will set yourself up to fail and it will be a miserable experience.

Have a look at some of the other fasting traditions, you may find them appealing, these vary from 25hours with no food or water for Yom Kippur to 'abstinence' as practiced by RC and some orthodox Christians where you don't eat certain foods and all points in between.