Islamic prayer beads.
doctors, professionals, and so forth. In addition, there are many African im- migrants from countries, such as the Sudan, who are practicing Muslims, and countless people from Islamic countries are seeking health care services in the United States. The community is unified by a common faith.
Religious beliefs are an important part of the Muslim lifestyle, and health care providers should be familiar with them:
• Muslims are taught that a “person is what he or she eats.” Islamic dietary restrictions consist of eating a strictly Halal diet, and a newly admitted patient who refuses to eat should be asked if the hospital’s ordinary diet interferes with his or her religious beliefs. The rules of a Halal diet include not eating pork or any pork products (such as nonbeef hamburger and ham). Islamic law teaches that certain foods affect the way a person thinks and acts. Therefore, one’s diet should consist of food that has a clean, posi- tive effect. Muslims do not drink alcohol because they feel that it dulls the senses and causes illness. Halal foods are produced using equipment that is cleansed according to Islamic law.
• Muslims pray 5 times a day. Each prayer does not take more than a few minutes and is offered at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and night in al- most any setting, such as in fields, offices, factories, universities, or hospitals. Prayer in Islam is a direct link between the worshipper and God. Before a person prays, he or she must be clean and the hands and feet are washed. Prayers are generally said in a prostrate position on a carpet on the floor.
• Muslims fast for a 30-day period during the year (fast of Ramadan). Rama- dan is a special time—a month of prayer and repentance. Nothing is taken