Muslim athletes push boundaries to keep on training despite fasting during Ramadan

LONDON (AP) — Approaching midnight, the hard work is just beginning for Sabir Hussein.

Trains running on the elevated railway above Diesel Gym in East London’s docklands are mostly empty. Inside, a mixed martial arts session awaits.

Hussein’s 10:30 p.m. agenda: escaping front headlocks, plus perfecting single-leg takedowns.

The timing is far from ideal, but during the holy month of Ramadan, Muslim athletes around the world adjust their schedules to squeeze in workouts when they can.

Dawn-to-dusk fasting poses obstacles about the best time to exercise — if it's an option — because it can adversely impact sleep and energy levels, something anyone who has joined the intermittent fasting trend might have experienced.

“Not training at all — that's not an option,” the 27-year-old Hussein said.

Hussein is an emerging MMA flyweight who plans to fight again in early June. He has a 4-2 amateur record and hopes to turn professional later this year.

“If I don't train, I'll fall behind in terms of my fitness. Once I start picking things up after Ramadan — it would be a lot harder if I didn't train throughout the month.”

The late-evening classes held every night during Ramadan are run by the nonprofit SCK Fitness Team, co-founded by Hussein and Warsame Ibrahim. The disciplines include MMA, boxing and Muay Thai. It’s 5 pounds ($6) a session with proceeds going to charity; a women-only class is free.

By the time the three-dozen athletes — a wide range in ages and skill levels — kick off their footwear and stretch it’s been about four hours since “iftar” when they've broken their fast, followed by prayers at their mosque.

The downside of late workouts? The resulting adrenaline can make it hard to fall asleep — and that's no fun ahead of a 4 a.m. wakeup call for prayers and a pre-dawn meal called "suhoor."

"If I have a hard session, I might stay up for another hour or two. I might get to bed around 2:30 (a.m.)," said Hussein, adding that after a light session he falls asleep easily.

On a recent evening, it looked like something in between. About halfway through, Hussein hadn't yet broken a sweat despite humid conditions that sent others searching for their water bottles in the wall cubbies after Ibrahim paused the “nasheed” Islamic hymn for a one-minute break.

The gym — home to several UK champions — includes a boxing ring, an MMA cage and the wrestling mats where most of the training takes place.

Outside of Ramadan, the Somali-born Hussein would train mid-morning, work in the afternoon as a kids' boxing coach and personal trainer, and do MMA sessions between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

During the holy month, which is expected to end around April 9 this year, Hussein tries to get in a workout early in the morning and if he's lucky a nap in the afternoon before the late-night sessions.

“But the majority of the time I work throughout the day,” he said. “I’ve got to still get my bills paid at the end of the day.”

Asma Aloui, assistant professor of sports sciences at the University of Sfax in Tunisia, said training an hour or two before breaking fast allows athletes “to replenish their nutrients and fluids immediately after the session.” This timing is also good because “strength-induced hormonal secretion” is at its peak, regardless of fasting.

“Thus, this period does not significantly disrupt sleep patterns and better prepares athletes for competition,” she said in a written response to questions.

Late-night training also likely wouldn’t align with daytime competitions — like a soccer game that kicks off in the afternoon. And some leagues are less accommodating to Muslim players than others.

“Athletes may find it challenging to adapt to daytime competitions during Ramadan, leading to considerable impact on performance,” Aloui wrote.

Training in the morning is “not advisable,” she added because the “recovery processes are hindered by the absence of food and fluid intake.”

Haroon Mota, founder of Muslim Runners and Active Inclusion Network, has been training for the London Marathon on April 21.

He posted video updates while completing a recent 20-mile run while fasting. Three hours into it, the Coventry resident said: “My mouth is so, so dry, dying for a sip of water even just to rinse my mouth out.”

Ahead of last year's race he offered his tips on training during Ramadan — still available on the London Marathon website.

As Mota completed his 20-miler just before iftar he added: “I feel like crying, tears of maybe joy and blessings... alhamdulillah.”

Ramadan, of course, is a time of sacrifice and growing closer to God through fasting and good deeds.

“The schedule gets a bit crazy. It does intervene in your sleep. However, it’s all worth it because it’s all a spiritual journey,” Hussein said.

“For us, that’s worth the lack of sleep or the lack of energy during the day.”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

MMA coach Warsame Ibrahim attends a mixed martial arts practice session at Diesel Gym in the Docklands area of East London, Monday, March 25, 2024. The special sessions run by the nonprofit SCK Fitness are held at 10 p.m. during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to accommodate dawn-to-dusk fasting. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

A student drinks water during a break at a mixed martial arts practice session at Diesel Gym in the Docklands area of East London, Monday, March 25, 2024. The special sessions run by the nonprofit SCK Fitness are held at 10 p.m. during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to accommodate dawn-to-dusk fasting. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Flyweight MMA fighter Sabir Hussein, left, practices mixed martial arts moves with other student at Diesel Gym in the Docklands area of East London, Monday, March 25, 2024. The special sessions run by the nonprofit SCK Fitness are held at 10 p.m. during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to accommodate dawn-to-dusk fasting. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Flyweight MMA fighter Sabir Hussein, center, practices mixed martial arts moves with other student at Diesel Gym in the Docklands area of East London, Monday, March 25, 2024. The special sessions run by the nonprofit SCK Fitness are held at 10 p.m. during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to accommodate dawn-to-dusk fasting. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Students show their muscle during mixed martial arts practice session at Diesel Gym in the Docklands area of East London, Monday, March 25, 2024. The special sessions run by the nonprofit SCK Fitness are held at 10 p.m. during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to accommodate dawn-to-dusk fasting. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Students practice mixed martial arts moves at Diesel Gym in the Docklands area of East London, Monday, March 25, 2024. The special sessions run by the nonprofit SCK Fitness are held at 10 p.m. during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to accommodate dawn-to-dusk fasting. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Flyweight MMA fighter Sabir Hussein, left, and MMA coach Warsame Ibrahim, top, pose for a photograph during a mixed martial arts practice session at Diesel Gym in the Docklands area of East London, Monday, March 25, 2024. The special sessions run by the nonprofit SCK Fitness are held at 10 p.m. during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to accommodate dawn-to-dusk fasting. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Students practices mixed martial arts moves at Diesel Gym in the Docklands area of East London, Monday, March 25, 2024. The special sessions run by the nonprofit SCK Fitness are held at 10 p.m. during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to accommodate dawn-to-dusk fasting. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Students practice mixed martial arts moves at Diesel Gym in the Docklands area of East London, Monday, March 25, 2024. The special sessions run by the nonprofit SCK Fitness are held at 10 p.m. during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to accommodate dawn-to-dusk fasting. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Students practice mixed martial arts moves at Diesel Gym in the Docklands area of East London, Monday, March 25, 2024. The special sessions run by the nonprofit SCK Fitness are held at 10 p.m. during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to accommodate dawn-to-dusk fasting. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Flyweight MMA fighter Sabir Hussein, left, practices mixed martial arts moves with another student at Diesel Gym in the Docklands area of East London, Monday, March 25, 2024. The special sessions run by the nonprofit SCK Fitness are held at 10 p.m. during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to accommodate dawn-to-dusk fasting. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — A convicted sex offender is asking the Norwegian Supreme Court to declare that social media access is a human right.

The case before the court Thursday involves a man who molested a minor and used the Snapchat messaging app to connect with young boys.

The unidentified offender was sentenced last year to 13 months in prison and banned from using Snapchat for two years.

His lawyers argue that depriving him of his account is unlawful under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The case turns on how vital social media have become for freedom of expression, even though the court must decide the case through laws that predate such sites.

“The case raises important questions about the extent to which the state can restrict access to social media platforms, which are significant tools for exercising the right to freedom of expression and maintaining social connections,” defense lawyer John Christian Elden said.

A November 2023 appeal against the ban failed with the state successfully arguing it was “proportionately measured against the fact that the defendant has used Snapchat to exploit children sexually.” The Appeal Court added that he still had the right to use other social media. If the Supreme Court also upholds the decision, the offender could attempt to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

The European convention has been used before to test the limits on Norwegian justice. Anders Behring Breivik, the far-right extremist who murdered 77 people in 2011, lost a court challenge in February that argued being held in isolation while serving his prison sentence amounted to inhumane punishment under the convention.

Signatories to the ECHR agree to abide by 18 articles guaranteeing citizens rights including life, liberty and freedom of expression. Norway was the second country to ratify the convention in 1952, after the United Kingdom.

Snapchat, run by Snap Inc., allows users to send and receive messages that disappear once they are read. Users also can physically locate other users who opt in to location tracking.

Snap prohibits child sexual exploitation on the app but allows accounts to be create anonymously. In an email it said, “when we disable accounts for sexual exploitation and grooming behavior, we also take steps to block the associated device and other accounts connected to the user from creating another Snapchat account.”

Snap disabled 343,865 accounts connected with child sexual exploitation in the second half of 2023. It sanctioned 879 accounts in Norway though it is not clear how many of these were permanently disabled.

The Norwegian court will issue its ruling in the coming weeks.

A view of the interior of the Supreme Court, in Oslo, Oct. 31, 2023. A convicted sex offender is asking the Norwegian Supreme Court to declare social media access is a human right. The case before the court Thursday, May 2, 2024 involves a man who molested a minor and used the Snapchat messaging app to connect with young boys. (Martin Solhaug Standal/NTB Scanpix via AP)