Cultural Differences and Intercultural Communication Challenges

Tajfel (1981) described ethnic identity as part of an individual’s self-concept developed from knowledge of membership in a cultural group and the value or emotional significance attached to that membership. Ethnic identity content has been defined as “the actual ethnic behaviors that individuals practice, along with their attitudes toward their ethnic group” (Phinney, 1993, p. 64). Charlesworth (2000) maintained ethnic identity development to be an essential human need that provided a sense of belonging and historical continuity and created a foundation on which to build a concept of self.

Muslims refrain from eating, drinking for thirty days from dawn until sunset. At sunset, every Muslim should break their fast at a special meal called iftar. Many Muslims like to start with the date at iftar time because it was the prophet’s custom.

4) Ritual fast during Ramadan. Muslims cannot eat from the break of day until the setting of the sun.

The fourth pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam is fasting during Ramadan. Ramadan is a sacred holiday in the Muslim faith. It falls in the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and is a celebration of Muhammad’s first revelations from God. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn until dusk. This continues until the end of the month, when a celebratory feast

Some of their prayer rituals were praying 5 times a day, pray with self or at a mosque, and wash oneself to be clean before God. Also, they believed in one God, and faith and prayer were an integral part of an Islamic life. Moreover, according to the Discovery Education Techbook it states, Ramadan is also a time for giving charity. Fasting helps Muslims to realize what it is like to be hungry.” (Techbook 12.1, Explore 6) This is significant because it is a symbolic that since fasting, which is the 4th pillar, was a time when you would not eat or drink from sunrise to sundown (Discovery Education) this was important to them because it showed that this time was time to realize what it is really like to be hungry, and a time for giving charity. Also, since Muhammad told his followers to take care of the orphans and give to the poor, this demonstrated that following these pillars were essential for a Muslim because it showed that they followed Muhammad's word, but at the same time work as a family helping each other because they fasted while caring for the orphans and give to the

The ninth month of Islamic calendar – the holy month of Ramadhan – has just ended. During Ramadhan, all Muslims around the world were obligated to fast. For the total of 30 days, Muslims were prohibited from eating

That is, one has to be mindful on how to approach individuals with similar features and practices because those individuals might not share the same cultural identity. Forcing a group of individuals in a group is damaging to their identity and is the practice of essentialism. Cultural identity is very difficult to understand because of the difference between national/ethnic identity and identity based on cultural patterns (Golubović 2010). Cultural identity is socially constructed and is used personal. In the U.S, many people use skin tone to determine one’s cultural identity which is wrong. For that reason, The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division states that no one should be judged or discriminated against because of one’s race, religion, nationality, disability, sex, familial status, ethnicity, gender, and culture (The United States: Department of Justice 2000). This law protects one’s civil rights and their identity - whether cultural or personal - who are institutionalized in certain state or local facilities, and prosecutes crimes (The United States: Department of Justice 2000). Hence, one’s cultural identity symbolizes a significant importance to one’s self. One’s identity should not be categorized or determined based on

Fasting in Islam, fasting is part of the five pillars of Islam. To be a Muslim you have to follow these

“There is ritual fasting, fasting as compensation or repentance, and ascetic fasting.” (source?) The purpose is to allow Muslims to seek nearness to Allah, to express their gratitude to and dependence on him, to atone for their past sins, and to remind them of the needy. Since there is the fasting in place during daylight hours, some mosques hold early morning breakfast gatherings as well as community dinners at night during the period of Ramadan. (Five Pillars of Islam, 2009)

Every religion has its foundations, and Islam is not different. For Muslims, the Pillars of Faith establish the core beliefs of the religion, and all who follow the path of Islam should abide to it. These obligations reveal a Muslim's true dedication towards enlightenment, and one of the greatest tests of faith is the fourth pillar Sawm, which is fasting during the month of Ramadan. Fasting teaches the virtue of self-restraint, and it's believed to improve one's will and spiritual connection with god (Words of Wisdom). Once the moon is spotted, the fasting will typically begin with a meal before dawn and then ends with a meal after sunset for every day in Ramadan. As difficult as it might be for some people, the fasting is not something where people despair on being hungry and thirsty, but a belief that it "teaches empathy and sympathy" (Words of Wisdom). Not all people are blessed with an abundance of food, so it those with leftovers give it those who cannot feed themselves. As Sawm teaches a mix of physical and mental strength, the fifth pillar Hajj, is one of spiritual strength. It is one of the most important beliefs of Islam as it is the pilgrimage to Mecca, which is one the most holiest places annually visited by over 15 million Muslims each year. It is the pinnacle of spiritual uprising as it is where one will

Intercultural communication competence refers to the ability of an individual to adapt and communicate appropriately and effectively across a wide array of cultural contexts. That is to say, for an individual to be considered an intercultural communicator they must understand other’s cultures as well as they understand their own, and apply this understanding to communication (Chen 1-2). With the increasing diversity at the workplace, school and other social settings, it has become increasingly important to learn how to communicate with people from a diverse array of cultures. More importantly, adapting to a more effective intercultural communication competence model provides us with learning opportunities occasioned by the interaction with people from other backgrounds. The intercultural communication competence model comes with some key components including tolerance for uncertainty, self-knowledge, and motivation. The greatest and most important of these aspects is motivation. An individual must be willing to foster relationships with people from a different cultural background. If an individual lacks the willingness to promote intercultural relationships, then other aspects of the intercultural communication model become moot.

The Javanese, along with all muslims, await Ramadan, as we await Christmas or birthdays. For them, it is a time to explore their divine religion and to wholly devote themselves to God. The followers of Ramadan had several religious attitudes towards fasting, some of which consisted of: means of showing obedience to Allah, helping to gain self-control, finding a source of spiritual power, learning how to feel for the poor, and learning to endure suffering. However, some muslims were just as likely to reject fasting due to opposing beliefs, though this was only around 2% of the muslims in Indonesia. Most of the muslims

Not all religions around the world practice fasting. The Islamic Region is not the only religion who does this. Christianism, Catholicism, and Buddhism also follows this tradition. They all do fasting their own ways like what time of the year do they do it and their reasons behind fasting. All Muslims fast together during the holy month of Ramadan which changes months every year. With different months, it can cause new challenges for them. The cooler months are usually the easiest to do fasting since it is not extremely hot out. These fast happen from sunrise to sunset so any time after sunset you may eat and drink anything you want. People need to have the physical and mental strength to fast since you are not drinking or eating for multiple hours at a time. Fasting can also help holster charity because, you are learning about empathy for the less fortunate.

The blessed month of Ramadan, the time when almost 2 billion muslims around the world are fasting and attempting to do extra good. Fasting was obligated two years after the muslims migrated to Medina from Mecca. In Mecca, the economic conditions for the muslims were bad, they were being persecuted, and often would go days without food or water. It was already difficult enough for them to find food, it wouldn 't be possible for them to abstain from something they were in extreme need off. After they migrated to Medina, it was like a sanctuary, they were greeted open heartedly, and many were actually waiting for them to arrive. After they settled down, the verses of ramadan were revealed.

However, others believe fasting is to clean sins and ask for forgiveness to Allah. In contrast, interviewee believes fasting teach them self-control and discipline.