Ramadan

Ramadan officially began on Sunday. Ramadan is the Muslim month of fasting and peaceful activity (no eating, drinking, unpeaceful behavior from dawn to dusk). In addition you are encouraged to pray more intensely and the month is supposed to be a time of self-reflection that brings you closer to god. My housemate has been dating a Muslim guy for several years now and has been celebrating Ramadan together with him for years. Since she was doing it and I think that the practice of fasting (which Islam actually says is a continuation of Jewish and Christian tradition like Lent) and increased prayer would do me good, I am practicing Ramadan too.

It is interesting that fasting is supposed to make you more patient and humble. I wonder if this is why Americans (who are generally more than well feed) are known for being so the opposite of these traits? Not completely true, but an interesting thought....

Anyway not eating all day is pretty hard, especially the not drinking water thing, because I drink a lot. But already I feel commraderie with my housemate and her boyfriend and 1/6 of the world that is fasting and praying at the same time as me. No, I’m not converting to Islam. But Rachels tells me that people are very happy to find a Westerner that even knows something about their practices and culture, even more so practicing them. And that is sad, because not all Muslims are fundamentalists or terrorists.. just like not all Christians are Nazis, Crusaders, or abortion-doctor killers. Like most conflicts, the conflict in the Middle East is a political issue not a religious one, although religion is used as propaganda by both sides. There are millions of Muslims here in Africa and Asia that live is relative peace alongside each other and other religions. In fact according to the Quran, Muslims, Jews, and Christians are all “people of the book”. Basically the Quran says for Muslims not to persecute Jews or Christians because they all believe in the God of Abraham. However it does say that when you or your people are being oppressed, then jihad (basically fighting back against oppression) is noble. This is where things get messy and political. But it is important to note that Islamic fundamentalist groups use images of Western oppression as propaganda for jihad, to help move their political agendas. I am not an authority on these topics, these are just my observations. Since I don't see the conflicts between our cultures letting up any day soon, I figure learning more about it all is the very least I can do.

here's a funny article about the topic
http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2005/09/27/idiots_guide_to_ramadhan_faith_feature.shtml