San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis was speaking to 7,000 Bay Area Muslims last year at the end of Ramadan, Islam's holy month of fasting, when he suddenly realized that they had gone hungry when he had not. And they were celebrating an experience he did not know. ``It just dawned on me,'' he recalled. ``If I am truly going to understand the nuances of this religion, I should join them in this fast.'' So this week, Davis will join the world's nearly 1 billion Muslims in forgoing food and drink from sunrise to sunset in the monthlong observance of Ramadan. Leaders in law enforcement and the Muslim community say they have never heard of a police chief fasting for the entire month. Last year in the United Kingdom, the highest ranking police officer at New Scotland Yard fasted for one day.
Davis' decision carries enormous weight with Muslims, who remain worried about racial profiling, continued backlash from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and, most recently in San Jose, the fatal police shooting of a Bosnian Muslim outside a coffee shop. ``It is a remarkable gesture,'' said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, an advocacy group in Washington, D.C. ``The fact that a major law enforcement figure in the country is making this gesture will help bridge some of the gaps in this country.'' During Ramadan, Davis plans to break the fast nightly with a different Muslim family, and will extend an invitation to eat at his home. The police chief, who is a Mormon, said his decision to observe Ramadan is not motivated by politics or publicity but by a desire to ``truly understand.'' Davis made the commitment when he was the deputy police chief and now, as the chief, he believes fasting can help him connect with a community that is growing in the South Bay. ``Everyone needs to know that the chief is the chief for everybody -- not just the majority, not just for those in power,'' Davis, 47, said. ``I need to be a chief for everybody, particularly for those who've felt marginalized.'' |