December 10, 1999
Web posted at: 1:08 a.m. EST (0608 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Hundreds of Muslims gathered at a downtown Mosque to pray and break their fast on the first day of Ramadan - the Muslim holy month.

Traffic snarled along Embassy Row in front on The Islamic Center as it is expected to for the next 29 days as residents, tourists, diplomats and others converge on the downtown landmark for a daily ritual of prayer, lectures, and nourishment after a long day of fasting.

"Ramadan literally means 'to burn,'" Dr. Abdullah Khouj, the center'sdirector said. "Religiously, it means to burn one's sins through worship, sincerity, and dedication to God."

Ramadan marks God's revelation of the Koran to Prophet Mohammed 1420 years ago.

"It is also the period when the Torah and the Bible were revealed," Khouj said.

There are over a billion Muslims worldwide, 7-9 million of them in the United States. About 200,000 pray at the 25 to 30 mosques in the Washington metropolitan area. The Islamic Center is one of seven large mosques in the region, explained Khouj.

Muslims attend lectures at the center each night of Ramadan, with subjects ranging from good manners to generosity.

"We learn to be extremely giving to the needy," Khouj said. "The function of fasting is to experience hunger and thirst and to remember the needy," he said.

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