'I'm fortunate Islam is so flexible'
Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi wakes up at 4am in his suite at the Peppers Salt Resort and Spa in Kingscliff, 120 kilometres south of Brisbane on Australia's spectacular Gold Coast. But the reason for his early rise is not to enjoy his suhoor.
'Fast' is a word commonly associated with World Rally Championship drivers, but for Al Qassimi, this month should be about a different type of fast.
Instead he has a brisk shower, performs 10 minutes of stretches and exercises and gets dressed in his heavy BP-Ford Abu Dhabi overalls and flame-resistant footwear.
He moves downstairs where he eats a light breakfast, despite the sun having already risen. Usually he would resist, but the rigours of racing in the WRC necessitate it. Having finished, he sets off for the first stage of Rally Australia, the third last event of a long, hard season.
When he returns to the hotel at 8pm, he has absorbed approximately 14 litres of water as his body strives to combat the intense heat in his car's cockpit.
He can lose up to four kilogrammes through the day's 13 stages and, despite the holy month, the Muslim understands fasting is simply not safe. He is fortunate his religion's flexibility makes the task manageable.
"My religion gives you the opportunity to break your fast if you are sick or you are travelling," he says poolside at Peppers. "When I am here, I choose to fast for one or two days when I'm not racing, but the most important thing during race-day is to keep your focus and, to do that, you need a lot of fluid in your system.
"You must not dehydrate. There is no way you can do a stage without drinking a lot of water or you'd be pushed to your limits and feeling very faint. It would be impossible. But there is no pressure on me; my religion says you can break your fast. It doesn't want you to suffer as a human being."
Al Qassimi makes a note of how many days he doesn't fast and schedules a date after the holy month to fulfil his obligation. The routine of the rally also affects his ability to pray, so he shortens his prayers from five to three times a day. He spends three or four minutes doing so, sometimes in the car on his way to a stage.
"Because I am Muslim, the best thing for me is to pray. When I'm in the car I try to concentrate and relax and say those prayers to make me feel more relaxed. Just 'God bless us' and 'God help us to be strong'…all the simple things."
Michael Orr, Al Qassimi's co-driver, should be used to the intricacies of his colleague's religion by now. His BP-Ford team understand and respect their driver's faith too, and are savvy enough to make Al Qassimi aware of food that includes pork or drinks that contain alcohol.
Despite the caution exercised at meal times, the 37-year-old says he is never really asked to explain Islam. He confirms that a mutual respect for different beliefs exists within the team, and insists he is always willing to answer any questions should they arise. Should he not know the answer, he is happy to seek out a fellow Muslim to educate both his inquisitor and himself. He enjoys his role as the ambassador of both Islam and the UAE.
"If someone asks me about my religion, it is usually about a particular area and not details," he explains. "When it is details I can't explain, I drop the question to more religious people who can give me the answer. As Muslims, all of us know the basics and know the most important things we have to do.
"General things? I can answer anyone. Being in this part of the world, I haven't as yet had anybody come and ask me about certain things in the religion.
"A few people are perhaps careful, but that is because they know we respect our religion. That is the most significant thing for me.
"I see myself as a representative for Abu Dhabi as the capital of the UAE and that means being a role model for the UAE and other Muslims too. Of that there is no doubt.
"It is rewarding, but you also need to be very careful in that you carry a name. It's on your shoulders and you need to support it and watch what you're doing. Nothing extreme, but balance; things have to be balanced."
Balance is only one of the many values Islam promotes. Al Qassimi believes those principles give him an advantage when competing.
"Because Islam forbids alcohol I don't drink and that is the No1 thing for a sportsman. Yes, some of the drivers drink alcohol, but not too much. Being Muslim helps me block that out.
"And even with smoking, I don't do it. Although it's not forbidden, my religion questions anything that destroys your health so it helps me remain disciplined. The discipline, the truth, to be faithful – all the things that are in Islam – you can take them in your real life no matter what you do and other people will appreciate that and you'll be happy in yourself.
"Nothing clashes between my religion and my sport. My religion supports the small things and I'm proud of that. It's just something simple."
As dusk falls and the dust settles on the track at Super Stage 15, Al Qassimi returns to Peppers Salt and Spa Resort. Adrenaline subsiding, he has dinner, makes time to watch videos of the day's race and then retires to his room exhausted. He will rise at 4am tomorrow, when the BP-Ford Abu Dhabi driver has to do it all over again. It seems anything but "simple".
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