All posts tagged: Ramadan

Gaza war reshapes somber Ramadan in Jerusalem’s Old City

Gaza war reshapes somber Ramadan in Jerusalem’s Old City

Published by skeptic

JERUSALEM —  The Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which ends this week, is a time of spiritual renewal, communal bonding and reflection on one’s relationship with God and fellow human beings. But this year, in Jerusalem’s Old City and across the Muslim world, evening feasts to observe the end to a day of fasting have been shaped by sadness and frugality. 1. Muslims break the fast with an iftar picnic Sunday on a rooftop in Old Jerusalem. 2. Chef Izzeldin Bukhari and his mother, Hala, eat an iftar meal of leftovers to show solidarity with fellow Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Like many Muslims, chef Izzeldin Bukhari and his mother, Hala, of Jerusalem have forgone traditional extravagant “break fast” meals for simple dishes out of sympathy for the suffering of fellow Palestinians trapped in a ferocious war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Hamas militant group. On a recent Friday, as the call to prayer echoed through the Old City’s Muslim quarter, the pair broke their fast in silence, eating reheated leftovers and stale …

How online Ramadan content has brought Muslim ideas around faith, worship and community into the mainstream

How online Ramadan content has brought Muslim ideas around faith, worship and community into the mainstream

Published by skeptic

For Muslims around the world, Ramadan is a time of increased personal spirituality and introspection. The hope is to draw closer to God. The sacred month is also a time when Muslims in non-majority Muslim spaces become more visible to the wider public through collective activity such as fasting, communal prayer and breaking the fast together. For a long time, discussions about these Ramadan practices in the UK were largely confined to mosques and community gatherings in person. They were also confined to Muslim online spaces, such as what people refer to as “Muslim Twitter”. Increasingly though, Ramadan content online has shifted towards the mainstream. This increased visibility allows Muslim ideas around faith, worship and community to be heard and more widely engaged with. Ramadan is a time of individual and communal practice. GR Stocks|Unsplash Everyday interactions Research suggests that during Ramadan, Muslims are more frequently questioned about their religion and practices. Non-Muslims asking those who are fasting if it means “not even water” is such a common trope that the phrase has been satirised …

Biden faces protest over his support for Israel during White House meeting

Biden faces protest over his support for Israel during White House meeting

Published by Sam

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has faced protests over the conflict in Gaza all over the country, but this week he confronted one inside the White House itself. The occasion was a private meeting on Tuesday where Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and national security leaders could hear from Muslim Americans about their concerns involving the war between Israel and Hamas. Shortly after the conversation began, a Palestinian American doctor from Chicago named Thaer Ahmad who has volunteered in Gaza announced that he was walking out. Before leaving, Ahmad presented the president with a letter from an orphaned 8-year-old girl in Rafah, a city that Israel plans to target next. He included a photo. Ahmad said Biden’s response to his protest was muted. “He said, ‘I understand,’” the doctor recalled. Biden’s support for Israel’s military operations in Gaza, including the sale of U.S. weapons, has angered Muslim Americans. The war began on Oct. 7 when Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis in a surprise attack. Since then, roughly 33,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel. Biden …

How Soccer Learned to Embrace Ramadan: From Faked Injuries to Bespoke Diets

How Soccer Learned to Embrace Ramadan: From Faked Injuries to Bespoke Diets

Published by Sam

Youseff Chippo had a secret. A few months into his life as a soccer pro in Europe, Chippo, a Moroccan midfielder, was pushing to prove himself and didn’t want to do anything that might hurt his chances of success. That included revealing he was fasting for Ramadan, a normal practice for the world’s billion Muslims but not in the locker room of Portugal’s F.C. Porto in the winter of 1997. The team’s double practice sessions — morning and afternoon — were arduous. Taking part while going without food and water from sunup to sundown made things harder. Eventually, after enduring days of dizziness and headaches in silence, Chippo came clean, and the club quickly put together a plan to preserve his energy and his health. For decades, though, other Muslim players found teams to be less accommodating, at least officially. So in a sport where continuous play and a lack of substitutions offer little opportunity for a mid-game trip to the bench, those players have long relied instead on resourcefulness and improvised solutions to break …

Biden hosts scaled-down Ramadan events amid Gaza outrage

Biden hosts scaled-down Ramadan events amid Gaza outrage

Published by skeptic

washington —  President Joe Biden is meeting with American Muslim community leaders on Tuesday amid outrage from Muslim and Arab Americans over his administration’s support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. “Continuing his tradition of honoring the Muslim community during Ramadan, President Biden will host a meeting with Muslim community leaders to discuss issues of importance to the community,” a White House official said in a statement sent to VOA. “He will be joined by Vice President [Kamala] Harris, senior Muslim Administration officials and senior members of his National Security team.” Following the meeting, the official said they will “host a small breaking of the fast, prayer, and Iftar” with “a number” of senior Muslim administration officials. Unlike in previous years, American Muslim leaders were not included in the White House iftar, or breaking of the fast meal. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the leaders had declined and asked for a “working group meeting” instead. “They wanted to make sure that there was an opportunity to discuss the issues at hand,” …

‘Not even water?’: Ramadan radio show demystifies Dutch Muslim life | Netherlands

‘Not even water?’: Ramadan radio show demystifies Dutch Muslim life | Netherlands

Published by skeptic

An hour before dawn in a nondescript building in Hilversum, a sleepy town half an hour south of Amsterdam, Nora Akachar grabs the microphone. There is nothing unique about a radio host summoning the nation out of its slumber. But this is, in her own words, “a big deal”. The Dutch Moroccan actor turned radio host is live on air presenting Suhoor Stories, a talk radio show presented by seven Dutch Muslim women, inviting Muslim guests to demystify Ramadan for the wider public. The programme is believed to be Europe’s only daily Ramadan radio and television show aired by a national public broadcaster. Akachar’s voice reaches into cars and homes across the Netherlands, “for anyone who is awake, going to work, or eating suhoor, a meal eaten before dawn to mark the start of a Ramadan fast.” The show’s all-female lineup is Akachar’s rebuke to long held stereotypes about Muslim women: “We have agency and we’re rewriting stories our way.” More than anything, it is an opportunity for greater understanding in a country rocked last …

In Yemen, Conflict and Hunger Stalk a Lean Ramadan

In Yemen, Conflict and Hunger Stalk a Lean Ramadan

Published by Sam

In the years before war and hunger upended daily life in Yemen, Mohammed Abdullah Yousef used to sit down after a long day of fasting during Ramadan to a rich spread of food. His family would dine on meat, falafel, beans, savory fried pastries and occasionally store-bought crème caramel. This year, the Islamic holy month looks different for Mr. Yousef, 52, a social studies teacher in the coastal city of Al Mukalla. He, his wife and their five children break their fast with bread, soup and vegetables. Earning the equivalent of $66 a month, he frets that his salary sometimes slips from his hands in less than two weeks, much of it to pay grocery bills. “I’m fighting to make ends meet,” Mr. Yousef said in an interview, describing how even before Ramadan he had begun skipping meals to stretch his meager paychecks, yet could barely afford bus fare to his job at a primary school. A decade ago, his salary covered his family’s needs and more. But conflict, poverty and hunger have overtaken much …

Ramadan 2024: Where do your dates come from? | Infographic News

Ramadan 2024: Where do your dates come from? | Infographic News

Published by Sam

As the sun goes down during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, many Muslims will break their fasts with a sweet, brown, dried fruit that has ancient history in the region. During these 29 or 30 days, able-bodied, observant Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual relations during daylight hours to achieve greater “taqwa”, or consciousness of God. Breaking one’s fast with dates and water is rooted in the religious teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and is specifically mentioned in the Quran for its nutritional value. Dates, fresh or dried, contain important vitamins, minerals and fibre. They are also high in antioxidants. Given their high level of fructose, a natural sugar found in fruit, dates are a great source of energy, especially after a long day’s fast. There are many different varieties of dates, each with different tastes and textures: Medjool: known for their large size, sweet taste, amber colour and richness in flavour Mabroom: less sweet than other kinds of dates with an elongated shape, reddish-brown hue and chewiness Ajwa: have a soft, …

Lee Anderson slams Ramadan message – London now ‘laughing stock’ of UK | Politics | News

Lee Anderson slams Ramadan message – London now ‘laughing stock’ of UK | Politics | News

Published by skeptic

Current Reform UK MP and former Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party Lee Anderson has criticised the decision by rail bosses to post a Ramadan message on departure boards at King’s Cross railway station. Earlier this month, verses from the Quran were posted next to train times and other information. One such message read: “Hadith of the day: The Prophet Muhammad (PBUM) said: “All the sons of Adam are sinners, but the best of the sinners are those who repent often.” Following the message, former Conservative MP Mr Anderson blasted the decision to post the message on the departure boards. Mr Anderson told the Telegraph: “If rail bosses have to launch an investigation into how these religious messages ended up on the departure board, then they should not be rail bosses at all.” He added: “The whole of London is turning into the laughing stock of the UK and the Government officials who state all religious festivals are celebrated need to realise that normal folk are more interested in their train turning up on time …

More Than Two-Thirds of Muslim Americans Prefer Giving Charity During Ramadan

More Than Two-Thirds of Muslim Americans Prefer Giving Charity During Ramadan

Published by skeptic

washington —  A new survey shows that nearly 70% of Muslims in the United States give zakat, or practice almsgiving, during Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. The survey, conducted by the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at Indiana University, found that gender, age, race, income, marital status, religiosity and voter registration status were the factors that influenced Muslim Americans’ preferences for paying zakat during Ramadan. “The importance of Ramadan to Muslims has long been discussed,” said Shariq Siddiqui, the lead researcher of the study and director of the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at Indiana University. He told VOA in an email that the survey indicates the importance of Ramadan for U.S. Muslims “when it comes to their charitable giving.” While there is no specific requirement to pay zakat during Ramadan, many Muslims prefer to fulfill their obligation during the month as they believe that God will multiply the rewards for charity during the Muslim holy month of fasting. Muslims believe that God revealed the Quran to Prophet Muhammad during Ramadan. During the month, Muslims who have reached …