Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board

A R C H I V E S

Police Chief from San Jose to Fast Ramadan

Madina Archives


Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board

Police Chief from San Jose to Fast Ramadan
se7en
10/18/04 at 16:26:06
* Police Chief from San Jose to Fast Ramadan *



OBSERVING RAMADAN WILL AID UNDERSTANDING, HE SAYS

By Crystal Carreon

Mercury News

San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis was speaking to 7,000 Bay Area Muslims
last year at the end of Ramadan, Islam's holy month of fasting, when he
suddenly realized that they had gone hungry when he had not. And they
were celebrating an experience he did not know.

``It just dawned on me,'' he recalled. ``If I am truly going to
understand the nuances of this religion, I should join them in this fast.''

So this week, Davis will join the world's nearly 1 billion Muslims in
forgoing food and drink from sunrise to sunset in the monthlong
observance of Ramadan. Leaders in law enforcement and the Muslim
community say they have never heard of a police chief fasting for the
entire month. Last year in the United Kingdom, the highest ranking
police officer at New Scotland Yard fasted for one day.

Davis' decision carries enormous weight with Muslims, who remain worried
about racial profiling, continued backlash from the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks and, most recently in San Jose, the fatal police shooting of a
Bosnian Muslim outside a coffee shop.

``It is a remarkable gesture,'' said James Zogby, president of the Arab
American Institute, an advocacy group in Washington, D.C. ``The fact
that a major law enforcement figure in the country is making this
gesture will help bridge some of the gaps in this country.''

During Ramadan, Davis plans to break the fast nightly with a different
Muslim family, and will extend an invitation to eat at his home.

The police chief, who is a Mormon, said his decision to observe Ramadan
is not motivated by politics or publicity but by a desire to ``truly
understand.'' Davis made the commitment when he was the deputy police
chief and now, as the chief, he believes fasting can help him connect
with a community that is growing in the South Bay.

``Everyone needs to know that the chief is the chief for everybody --
not just the majority, not just for those in power,'' Davis, 47, said.
``I need to be a chief for everybody, particularly for those who've felt
marginalized.''

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the San Jose Police Department has taken steps to
improve relations between officers and area Arab-Americans and Muslims,
some of whom were targeted in a wave of harassment and violence. In the
days after the attacks, San Jose police responded to a spike in reported
hate crimes, including ethnic slurs on answering machines, a mutilated
rat on a doorstep and racist graffiti at a high school.

Davis read about Islam, visited a mosque and was invited to speak at the
Eid al-Fitr, an annual celebration marking the end of Ramadan. At last
year's festival, Davis said he found his inspiration and announced he
would fast the next Ramadan.

``Everyone in the community was just shocked -- in a good way,'' said
South Bay Islamic Association religious director Imam Tahir Anwar. ``You
get Muslims to fast; you get non-practicing Muslims to fast. But then
you have the chief of one of the biggest cities in America who just
committed to fasting during the month of Ramadan. . . . It's a sign that
it came from the heart.''

Anwar said Davis' gesture signals to the Muslim community a willingness
among San Jose's leaders to try to learn more about Islam.

Across the country, some Muslims have been singled out by law
enforcement officers questioning, as their homes and mosques were
searched for signs of terrorist activity. Anwar said experiences with
local police have been more favorable, and he considers Davis his friend.

For Abraham Ra'oof, Davis is his boss. Ra'oof, a patrol officer with the
San Jose Police Department and one of at least two Muslim officers on
the force, said he was not surprised by the chief's decision.

``He's a man open to every religion, to every ethnic group,'' said
Ra'oof, an eight-year veteran of the force. ``If he wants to try it out
for his own personal reasons, I think it's outstanding.''

Fasting for Ramadan, he said, is a sacred _expression of dedication and
for ``God's pleasure.''

In Islam, Ramadan is the ninth month of the lunar calendar. Because the
lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than the solar calendar, the
holy month of fasting rotates every year. This year, it is expected to
begin on Friday or Saturday, depending on whether a new moon is sighted
on Thursday night. Ramadan will last 29 or 30 days.

Muslims believe that during the ninth month in the seventh century, God
revealed the first verses of the Koran, Islam's holy text, to the
prophet Muhammad. As a sign of deference, observers of Ramadan abstain
from eating, drinking and sex during the daylight hours. But every
night, feasts mark the breaking of the fast, or Iftar.

Since he was sworn in as police chief in January, Davis has been meeting
regularly with members of the Vietnamese and Latino communities, and the
president of the local chapter of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People. He also has revamped the department's
cultural sensitivity training to feature a series of short
police-produced videos on different members of the community. The first,
set to be shown to officers this week, is about Islam.

Davis said he is confident his fasting will not affect his 72-hour work
week commanding the department's 1,400 officers in the country's
11th-largest city.

Already a lean tri-athlete, Davis said he often finds himself too busy
to eat. His breakfasts usually consist of a few handfuls of Triscuit
wheat crackers and a bottled water.

And fasting, he said, is not unheard of in his Mormon religion. Since he
was a child, Davis has fasted the first Sunday of every month. The day
also is marked by charity, donating to the poor -- a virtue shared in
Islam. The experience, he said, is humbling.

``It helps you focus on what is important in life: your family, the roof
over your head, the community you live in, the country that afforded us
all of this,'' he said. ``At the end of the day, we're all the same.''

Contact Crystal Carreon at ccarreon@mercurynews.com
or (408) 920-5460.
NS
Re: Police Chief from San Jose to Fast Ramadan
Aadhil
10/28/04 at 18:11:49
[slm]

Heh, this guy broke his fast at our masjid last Saturday. It was a CAIR event and mainly non Muslims Were there.  :)
[slm]
10/28/04 at 18:12:32
Aadhil


Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
A R C H I V E S

Individual posts do not necessarily reflect the views of Jannah.org, Islam, or all Muslims. All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners. Comments are owned by the poster and may not be used without consent of the author.
The rest © Jannah.Org