This weekend marks the start of Ramadan, a Muslim religious observance observed by one-fourth of the world (photo by DVIDSHUB).
Al Jazeera reports Ramadan was observed in the United States as far back as the slave days when as many as 1.2 million of the slaves were believed to be Muslims.
Despite the strenuous and back breaking labor the slaves were forced to do every day, many of them abstained from food and drink from sunrise to sunset during the entire holy month.
The act of observing Ramadan was considered an act of rebellion since the slave code forbid them from taking part in religious activities.
You can read more about how they observed Ramadan during slavery and the role of African Americans in the Muslim faith in Al Jazeera.
LATEST STORIES
