Kenan Sliter: "I found my way back ..."

Followers of other religious traditions often talk about periods of their lives when they seem to drift away from the core of the faith—then they often find themselves drawn back for various reasons. Kenan Sliter talks about his journey back to Islam. When he mentions “the Shahada,” he’s refering to the Muslim declaration of faith, which says in one English translation: “There is no god but God—and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” Making this profession of faith is traditionally regarded as one of the “five pillars” of Islam. Here’s Kenan’s story of the role Ramadan plays in his journey back to Islam:

I was born Muslim. I strayed off of it, and I found my way back. I came back to the mosque, and did my Shahada all over. I’m doing a lot better now that I found my way back.
   Ramadan strengthened me because I saw all these Muslims getting together. Knowing all these Muslims were getting together for Ramadan, for that sole purpose, just made me believe a lot stronger.
   It hits more to the heart.
   I stopped being down all the time. Nothing good comes out of that, anyway. And I just gave all my will power and thoughts to Allah.
   Not eating or drinking gives you more time to think about the people who don’t have food to eat. It strengthens me knowing that I can actually relate to people who don’t have it.
   Spiritually, this is what it does for me: It lets me know that there’s more to life than just having materialistic things. You can get joy out of helping someone else, whether it’s food, a light bill, or some extra money out of your pocket.

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