Ramadan Kareem

The past month--and most of the time that I have been here--it has been Ramadan. Even though Julie nor I have fasted, it has been a nice time to be in the country and it has been fun to celebrate iftar (the meal that breaks the fast) with friends that have been fasting. Ramadan is the month for Muslims where the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet. The month is a time when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk in an attitude of prayerfulness, sacrifice, and humility. It is also a time Muslims ask God for forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance in the future, and practice self-discipline and restraint.

In UAE, it is also a time for celebration, foremost of which is the iftar meal each night. Although the Prophet describes it as a simple meal to sustain your health throughout the month, it is now quite an extravagant affair. The best dates of the year come out (Julie had one that was filled with cream and covered with white chocolate and pistachios), the grocery stores are filled with delicious looking sweets (baklava and other assorted pastries) and good fruit and meat. I just learned last night that quite a few Muslims in the UAE actually gain weight during Ramadan, even though it is a time of fasting. In a country of such extravagance as the UAE, that Ramadan would be practiced in this way. In the malls, the majority of the stores have “Ramadan Kareem” signs (which means generous or bountiful Ramadan) on their windows to advertise Ramadan specials on clothes, electronics, and food. At McDonalds and KFC they have some “Iftar Specials.” The most exciting are the Date Pies at McDonalds. Also, when you buy cell phone minutes “during the holy month of Ramadan,” you receive ten percent more minutes if you spend over 1000 dirhams (nearly $300). So as you can see there are definitely some interesting interpretations of market capitalism.

Ramadan is also a time of sharing. The idea of the ummah--the larger Muslim community--is given increased prominence. At school, there has been a charity drive to collect food and raise money to be sent to less developed Muslim countries so they too could celebrate iftar and Eid ul-Fitr (the three-day celebration at the end of Ramadan). One student anonymously gave 1000 dirhams and my class was quick to donate money as well. On TV, there have been numerous advertisements for the Zakat Fund, a website that helps distribute money to deserving charities and people through the UAE and the rest of the Muslim world. The website is marketed as a modern response to an age-old responsibility.

Ramadan is also a time where not much gets done. The local and national government essentially closes down and no one really expects anything to get done. All the inadequacies and inefficiencies are attributed to Ramadan (read: not getting our Residency and Work Visa’s and spending three+ hours at the Omani border post waiting to renew our tourist visas. I did get to chase some goats around though, so that was fun at least. Oh, and Oman was very arid and pretty). Also, at school, classes are only 35 minutes so it has been extremely difficult to teach much of anything in a short time when kids are fasting (and staying up late when their parents are partying the night before and then waking up early to eat something before sunrise). Also, there have been a couple times when kids have passed out during the morning line-up after playing football for an hour before school in the 45 C heat and then standing in a line for 15 minutes.

A Muslim friend of ours has said that just like there are Easter and Christmas Christians, there are Ramadan Muslims. The night before Ramadan began, the bars and clubs were all full in Dubai. Since no alcohol is supposed to be served during Ramadan both Muslims and non-Muslims were getting ready for the month ofpurity. Which is interesting connection to the "Young and Arab in the Land of Mosques and Bars" article in the New York Times last week.

So Ramadan Kareem everyone. I’ll be blogging more this week before Julie and I (and hopefully some friends if Visa woes get worked out) go to Turkey over our two week holiday.