Mission & Justice

Lalit Raizada; 30/9/08

We have been experiencing a pleasant dilemma during Ramadan. This is because we receive a number of invitations from Muslim friends to join them over iftar, often more than one for the same evening. Just as we honour their invitation, they would be no less keen to come to our place. That is how it goes on in India, the land of composite culture. As such, like us, the children in our family eagerly wait for the arrival of Ramadan, and then finally the Eid day when there is joy, love and mirth in the festive air. Honestly speaking, while visiting our friends we like to embrace them a little longer - to enjoy the enchanting fragrance of typical oriental Indian scents (unlike the spirit-based perfumes) they would use that day. After all, for us, this opportunity comes only twice a year (on Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha).

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Ezzeddine Ebrahim; 25/9/08

Islam is a religion that addresses the issues of all people from both sexes and all ages. It tackles the issues related to each group and worship. This encouraged some scholars to compile books that contain the different rules for various sectors of society, such as women, the elderly and children. All these rules were earlier found in books of jurisprudence, but were not classified as per the subject.

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Ramadan Al Sherbini; 24/9/08

Like his fellow Muslim beings in the Al Hussain area here, Kamal Mahmoud eagerly awaits the start of Ramadan. This month injects fresh blood into the craft of Mahmoud, who runs a workshop for manufacturing prayer beads. “With Chinese rosaries flooding the Egyptian market, it is difficult for me and others like me to sell our rosaries,” Mahmoud, 68, told Gulf News. “Compared to the local ones, Chinese rosaries are of low quality and are cheap.” Chinese prayer beads, which are plentifully available here and in the neighbouring market area of Khan Al Khalili, sell for less than $1 (Dh3.67). “Egyptian rosaries, made of precious material, may sell for much more ,” said Mahmoud.

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Marwa Sabah; 22/9/08

Children are allowed to tuck into food during Ramadan, but some Iraqi boys and girls who join the adults in fasting during the holy month are seen as young heroes in the war-ravaged nation. Iraqi society is seeing more children — some as young as four — refrain from food during the daylight hours and thus earn the respect of their parents and peers. Religious scholars say girls should only start fasting from the age of nine and boys should wait until they are 15 before observing Ramadan.

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Mohammed Abdu Yamani; 19/9/08
Fasting is a unique moral and spiritual characteristic of Islam. It does not mean just abstaining completely from food, drink, sex and smoking from the break of dawn till sunset during the whole month of Ramadan. Fasting is meant to teach us essential values such as patience, sacrifice and humility. Ramadan is a great month in which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) received the first verses of the Holy Qur’an through revelation. The first battle of Islam against the infidels took place in Ramadan. It is a pity that some young Muslims do not know the holiness of this month. They turn it into a month of sleeping and laziness. Some of them spend the whole night playing cards or watching TV. They go to bed after sunrise and sometimes miss noon or afternoon prayers, which is a great sin.

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Yoav Stern; 18/9/08

“Instead of it being a month of abstinence, asceticism and breaking the fast with dates, it has turned into a month of cooking, fat paunches and frying. The month of Ramadan is the month of sycophantism, hypocrisy and lies, the month of squandering and appetite, a month of slavery for women.” These words were written around a month ago by Ala Hlehl, the editor in chief of the Balad party newspaper Fasal al-Makal. They forced him to resign and provoked a stormy debate about freedom of expression in Arab society. Hlehl, a playwright and translator, is one of the most prominent artists in Israeli Arab society, an important Balad activist. He is considered loyal to the party’s founder Azmi Bishara, and is well known for his courageous stands.

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17/9/08

An overwhelming 96 per cent of Muslim Arabs are observing the Ramadan fast, 89 per cent view Ramadan as a yearly lesson in self-restraint and discipline, and 71 per cent believe the holy month allows them to feel a sense of solidarity and brotherhood with fellow Muslims. However, as restaurants and hotels region-wide tout their special Ramadan iftar and suhur promotions, a big majority (67 per cent) also feels that Ramadan is becoming a bit too commercial. These were among the findings of an extensive region-wide survey conducted by Maktoob Research on the attitudes and perceptions of the faithful vis-à-vis Ramadan traditions and practices. The survey, conducted during the month of August, just prior to the beginning of the holy month, canvassed the opinions of 6,128 adult Muslims from across the Arab world. Announcing the findings, Tamara Deprez, Director of Maktoob Research, said: “The study throws light on what Ramadan means today to followers of Islam, and how they perceive the customs and practices associated with the holy month. The survey’s findings show that despite the pace of modern life and the changes in people’s lifestyle, the Arab world retains its spiritual essence and remains largely tradition-bound where matters of faith are concerned - more so during the holy month of Ramadan.”

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Thameen Kheetan; 14/9/08

While 3rd grader Rahaf said she was proud for having successfully fasted every day since the beginning of Ramadan, her classmate Yousef fell ill from not eating and had to break his fast last week. “Fasting is nice. I feel compassion with poor people,” Rahaf told The Jordan Times on Wednesday at Dar Al Arqam Islamic School in Amman. She said it was easy for her to fast, but said, “Sometimes I feel hungry or tired but not so much.” Hunger, however, made the eight-year-old Yousef visit a doctor. “I was hungry… I had stomach pains, so I did not continue fasting,” he said, adding that he wants to fast “so that I will go to heaven”.

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Taylor Luck; 12/9/08

While millions gather with their families at sunset for iftar this Ramadan, many citizens are left with few options when it comes time to break the daylong fast. Their answer comes in the form of iftar tents, spread across the Kingdom, providing free meals for the underprivileged and the scores of taxi drivers, sanitation workers, grocers and even business professionals who are forced to work in the evening hours. Some tents are hosted by members of the Royal family, such as Her Majesty Queen Rania’s Hal Hilalak tent for underprivileged children, while others are sponsored by municipalities and even embassies. Others come under private sector corporate responsibility programmes, as major banks, telecommunication companies and even electronic stores erect tents and open their doors to the have-nots and passersby.

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Shlomo Shamir and Natasha Mozgovaya; 12/9/08

Five American religious organizations said they plan to host a dinner to break the Ramadan fast with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his upcoming visit to the United States. The Mennonite Central Committee, the Quakers, the World Council of Churches, Religions for Peace and the American Friends Service Committee are sponsoring the meeting with President Ahmadinejad on September 25 in New York City.The dinner to break the Ramadan fast, called an Iftar, is being billed as ?an international dialogue between religious leaders and political figures? in a conversation “about the role of religions in tackling global challenges and building peaceful societies.”

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