Ramadan Kareem! Have a generous Ramadan

We are well into Ramadan, the most holy month of the year for Muslims. As I may have mentioned, some 90% of Egyptians are Muslim and Muslim holidays, etc greatly influence culture similar to Judeo-Christianity in the US. So, I am no Islamic scholar but here is what I can tell you about Ramadan:

It is in the 9th month of the Islamic calendar (which is not necessarily the “Coptic” calendar but happens to coincide this year and it celebrates when the Qu’ran was given to the angel Gabriel who later revealed it in fits and starts to the Prophet Mahammad (as he is called in Egypt but nowhere else in the Middle East-same guy as Mohammed). Muslims have a lot to do in Ramadan but most important seem to be fasting, reading the whole Qur’an and praying a lot more than the usual 5 times a day. So, the fasting is probably the most fascinating to me….fasting begins at the “get up time” (not the official name obviously) just before dawn after a much-too-light meal (Suhoor) and no food or drink again until sunset (about 6pm) where there is an enormous daily feast called Iftar. I would like to stress no food or drink…at all….and the most devout of Muslims can be seen spitting out saliva on the street for fear of technically swallowing water. Every “able bodied” Muslim (usually age 12 and older, men and women, not pregnant and not the very old) is called to fast. Fasting is intended to refocus your spirit on Allah and help you to commiserate with the poor. As you can imagine, all this non-eating translates into lesser than usual (if possible) productivity and a reliable 3-6pm crankiness. However, most Muslims seem to take this in stride and marvel at us western Christians marveling at them. It is interesting to watch reactions to the fasting. While some Americans seem annoyed by the whole ordeal (I can’t get pizza delivery at my dinner time!!!!), most seem respectful and a bit in awe. On the otherhand, most non-Muslim Africans seem terribly suspicious of the whole shebang. I mean, don’t ask an Ethiopian Christian about fasting unless you want to hear and earful of theories about secret water-sipping, etc! I was also fascinated to learn that most Coptic Christians (8% of the remaining 10% in Egypt) also fast on or near the dates of Ramadan. Apparently fasting is a cultural tradition as well as a religious one (most Coptic women also cover their heads but there is another reason for this). However, unlike Muslims, Coptic Christians drink water during the day (good call!).

Now, we have all fasted for some time period or another, either before medical tests or just because we had a busy day. What I can’t imagine is not drinking water in 100+ degree heat. Magically, the Cairo temperature drastic decreased on the first day of Ramadan. Joe and I have two rival theories on this….either God loves Muslims like He loves Christians (me) or Muslims are too exhausted to do much so they generate less body heat thus decreasing the overall city heat (Joe). If you were here with us, you’d see that both theories are viable. There is an absolutely beautiful Islamic culture thriving, that, despite the abominations of my evangelical Christian friends, just can’t be totally, completely, 100% baloney. There are also a zillion people per square inch and less movement can actually translate into less heat. All in all, we are enjoying the emergence of fall…such as it is. Weather listed today’s high at a refreshing 97degrees. This is why I always look at the temps in Celsius! Watch for some pictures of Ramadan lanterns (Muslim equivalent of Christmas trees)….I’ll try to snap them tomorrow.