I
promise this the last posting about Ramadan. I don’t want bombard you
mailboxes with too many messages. This is interesting enough to share and
pictures are great if they show up properly in inbox.
Enlarge Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images)
Muslim Egyptian men pray
during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at Cairo's historic Al-Azhar mosque in
September 2009. Some experts say many Egyptians have lost the meaning of the
holy month, spending too much time after hours partying, eating and watching
TV.
Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty
Images)
Muslim Egyptian men pray
during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at Cairo's historic Al-Azhar mosque in
September 2009. Some experts say many Egyptians have lost the meaning of the
holy month, spending too much time after hours partying, eating and watching
TV.
August 11, 2010
Most Muslims around the
world begin observing the holy month of Ramadan on Wednesday, a time when they
reflect on what it's like to go hungry. They fast from dawn to dusk, and break
the daily fast by sharing food and charity with those less fortunate, as well
as celebrating with family and friends.
Ramadan celebrations are
especially famous in Egypt. But this year, the Egyptian government has added a
new twist to the holiday by turning back the clock just for Ramadan. That way,
people end their fast an hour earlier than they would otherwise, even though
the total number of hours they fast will not change.
Enlarge Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson/NPR
Egypt has Ramadan
traditions that are unique in the Muslim world. Among the most famous are the
brightly colored tin and glass lanterns called fanous, which hang for sale by the thousands
in the medieval Islamic quarter of Cairo.
Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson/NPR
Egypt has Ramadan
traditions that are unique in the Muslim world. Among the most famous are the
brightly colored tin and glass lanterns called fanous, which hang for sale by the thousands
in the medieval Islamic quarter of Cairo.
Daylight saving time
will return once Ramadan ends.
The time change makes
spice salesman Hossam Adin Mohammed uncomfortable. He wonders why Egypt is the
only country creating a time zone for the holiday. Mohammed also hopes it
doesn't violate Islamic law.
Nevertheless, he is
certain he and other Egyptians celebrate Ramadan the way the Prophet Muhammad
intended.
"Of course we eat a
lot, but that is part of the family spirit," he says. "One night it's
at my place, the next night at my sister's, and another night at my
mother-in-law's house."
All the feasting and
socializing lead to another less desirable tradition — the "Ramadan
Effect."
We have 30 days of
Christmas Eve full of banquets and food.
- sociologist Said Sadek
Each year, the Egyptian
economy slumps during the holy month. Workdays are cut short, and production
and stock performance drop. At the same time, public consumption skyrockets,
meaning more imports. Some of the additional goods go to the needy, as Islam
prescribes.
All over the city,
private individuals and charities set up colorful tents packed with free food.
Yet too many Egyptians have turned Ramadan into an exercise in excess, says
sociologist Said Sadek.
"We have 30 days of
Christmas Eve full of banquets and food," he explains. "Egypt
consumes three times its normal food consumption during the month of
Ramadan."
He adds: "They are
semi-drugged by media, by food, banquets that are being held because religion
advises that it is better that people eat together."
But even conservative
religious groups support the Egyptian festiveness — within limits.
"Certainly our
message to Egyptians during Ramadan is no excessive food and no excessive
partying or staying up way too late, because that's hated by Islam," says
Ali Abdel Fattah, spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, a political movement
that is officially banned in Egypt.
But he says Egyptians
are more pious during Ramadan now than in years gone by. Even the belly dancers
who used to dance for tourists during Ramadan now abstain, he says, choosing
instead to sponsor food tents for the poor on the streets.