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Living with a strict faith

By Jamshid Mousavinezhad | amNY.com

Mory Kaba, who is 16 and lives in the Bronx, tries to explain his religion to his non-Muslim pals, stressing that family influence and Islam's strict rules against violence, drinking, promiscuity and doing drugs, keep him out of trouble. "It helps me a lot, to know good from bad," the African-born teen said. "It's a good religion, it changes people."

While their religion gives them strength, it also sets them apart at an age when everyone's just trying to fit in.

Praying five times a day, eating only Halal food, fasting, not dating freely and dressing modestly, which often means being unfashionable, can make them feel "left out," said Mory's cousin Adama Kaba.

"Sometimes when you go to school you got to fast for certain months it's really hard watching everyone else and you're hungry," said the 17-year-old who immigrated from Guinea at age 9. It makes it easier, he said, when some of his friends "think it's cool to fast" and join him.

The teenagers also enjoy the more private aspects of their faith such as reading the Koran, going to the mosque or reflecting on the prophet Muhammad's teachings.

Saddam, one of the more religious teens, said he wakes up for the dawn prayer at 4:30 a.m. Then he either goes back to sleep or reads the Quran. His day, unlike some of the others who pray once or twice daily, revolves around all five prayers.

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