Ramadan in Liverpool

Abstract

This article addresses the way in which Muslim children negotiate the Christianity they encounter in an Anglican Primary School in Liverpool. The title picks up the two focal points of the discussion: the writing of Tariq Ramadan and the impact of fasting during the month of Ramadan on the life of the school. With regard to Tariq Ramadan's writing, the article first evaluates his opposition to ‘tolerance’ and ‘integration’. Second, it sets out Ramadan's understanding of the more equalitarian term ‘respect’, and third, his arguments for a ‘new pluralism’ and his proposals for how Muslims should live in a Christian majority context are discussed. The practice of fasting during Ramadan is used to begin a discussion of how observation of Christian and Muslim religious festivals requires negotiation by Muslim pupils at an Anglican Primary School. A scale of resistance and acceptance is used to elucidate the negotiating strategies they employ. The discussion covers three Muslim events (Ramadan and the two Eids) and three Christian (Harvest, Christmas and Easter). The pupils' negotiating strategies and the reactions of school staff are evaluated, and recommendations are made for how Anglican Faith Schools might promote mutual understanding between the Christian and Muslim communities.