It’s the first day of Ramadan, and I’m well into the school season. I walk into school wearing a kurta, which is traditional Pakistani clothing for men. A kurta is a long, gown-like tunic, and my kurta was a deep black color, with golden accents. I felt like a prince. However, Pakistani kurtas aren’t what come to mind to the average American when thinking of fancy dress. I reach physics class, and I notice the eyes turn on me. My face reddens as I prepare myself for either appreciation or alienation. Everyone knows their own bit of info on the “month of fasting” that we Muslims call Ramadan. I’m immediately bombarded with questions by many of my classmates, and they all come to the same question: “Not even water?” And no, not even water. After all the questions and commotion around what Ramadan is, why I’m fasting, and why I’m wearing the wizard robe, a classmate of mine commended me, saying how I was devoted to my religion and had a lot of discipline. This put a smile on my face, as it was nice to see people notice my devotion. A memorable part of every Muslim student's fast at school is lunch. It’s quite isolating, being around all your friends at the lunch table while they’re all eating and you’re just watching. It does give time for homework, though. I remember in middle school my friend trying to convince me, “Hey, bro, just have a bite. Just hide it so God won’t see it.” I explained to him how that’s not really how it works, but I remember my 7th-grade self thinking, “Would God truly know if I ate?” In Islam, there are 5 daily prayers, and some happen during school. Friday is regarded as a special day in Islam, there is a congregation of prayer. The problem is, nobody has time for that prayer, since it is during school. So, I established a list of all the Muslims that attend my school and contacted them and a few teachers, so we could have a room to ourselves after school for the Friday prayer. A special sermon called a khutbah is also required on Friday, so I taught myself to give these sermons before the start of the Friday prayer. It establishes a sense of leadership, and a sense of community as I see the few other Muslims that go to my high school attend these after-school sessions. Throughout high school, I’ve had numerous interactions with people from other faiths, and non-religious people too. Explaining the ins and outs of Islam can have its ups and downs; I’m always happy to tell my classmates about what I believe in and how I practice my faith, but the occasional comment or joke always leaves a bad aftertaste. I think that’s the truth about being different from others. Your uniqueness is a double-edged sword. It makes you different from the rest, but that can be an isolating experience. However, I can use this double-edged sword properly by representing my religion and teaching others about it. There’s a certain honor in proudly waving the metaphorical banner of Islam. Over the years, I’ve seen a gradual improvement in the awareness of people and what they know about Islam, which makes me glad.