ST. CHARLES – Wearing her bright red headscarf, Noor Dogar began the Ramadan ceremony for breaking the fast shortly before sunset by reciting a surah – a chapter from the Quran, the holy scripture of Islam.

First she sang the scripture in Arabic.

Then Noor translated, saying, “Oh mankind, indeed. We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is knowing and acquainted.”

The Islamic Center of Kane County in St. Charles hosted an interfaith breaking of the fast Wednesday night, where about 50 attended, including St. Charles Mayor Lora Vitek, Kane County Judge Michael Nolan and Stephanie Anthony, pastor of Fox Valley Presbyterian Church.

Ramadan goes from March 22 to April 20, with observant Muslims fasting from sunrise to sunset.

Haroon Qureshi, reading from a surah, said that in Islam, all are born equal, and that different tribes were created to encourage diversity.

“No one is superior or favored in the eye of Allah,” Qureshi said. “Different people, nations and cultures have different strengths, weaknesses … This diversity allows us to complement one another.”

Imam Khalid Dogar said there is more to fasting during Ramadan than just not eating.

“The fast is not only the fast for your stomach. The fast you offer is – your tongue is fasting. So that you do not utter falsehood,” Dogar said. “You don’t hate anybody. You don’t tell a lie. … You become God-aware.”

Ramadan also highlights the five pillars of Islam: the declaration of faith, prayer five times a day, alms-giving, fasting and pilgrimage – making the observant more vigilant, Dogar said.

“As a human being, we are all born with a moral compass. We have the sense of right and wrong. It is only later on that we are taught hate,” Dogar said. “Fasting … your spiritual uplifting and the standing in prayer – you are aligning your moral compass with the divine.”

Rev. Anthony shared some of the Christian traditions – that include prayer and fasting.

“It carries on throughout the Christian tradition to see where there is some overlap,” Anthony said. “We talk about combining prayer with fasting. Together, those help open ourselves to what God is saying and what God is calling us to do and how to be.”

As the sun began to set, Dogar counted down the seconds and the first food for breaking the fast was water and dates.

Then they have prayers – shoes off, women and men separately – before having dinner.

On this night, it was salad, chicken, hummus, falafel, fruit, date halves topped with chopped nuts – and pizza.

Salman Farooq, who was there with his wife Hajra, explained that fasting for Ramadan is not that hard to do. Muslims eat before sunrise, about 5 a.m. before the daylong fast begins.

“It’s not the hardest thing, it’s not the easiest thing, either,” Hajra said. “It’s a compromise that is much easier than what it sounds like.”

Hajra said after years of fasting during Ramadan, it’s not such a big deal.

“If you fast any other day other than Ramadan, it feels like you are not going to survive – there’s no way,” Hajra said. “Somehow, it just happens – you know – and we’re ok.”