Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, started this week and will end with the holiday of Eid al-Fitr — the “festival of breaking the fast.” The holiday is capitalized, but iftar, the meal Muslims eat after sunset to break their daily fasts, is not. Remember to use Muslim to refer to an adherent of Islam, while Islamic can be used as an adjective. It is not interchangeable with Islamist, which is a specific term that refers to someone who believes government should follow Islamic law. And when it comes to using Islamic titles such as ayatollah, imam and sheikh, be sure to double-check, as the branches of Islam use titles differently.
