Ramadan

[NovaKart]

رمضان مبارك

Ramadan is here, starting tomorrow or the day after. It's really really hot here so there's just no way I'm fasting and the days are too long. Unfortunately everyone I work with and almost everyone I know here is fasting and the restaurants will be closed. I'm going to see if I can get the water cooler just put into my office.

It's so different from last year when I was in Antep and practically no one I knew was fasting but still the restaurants were closed. At least at night it's a festive atmosphere and then the drums come out at 2 am. Some people go to the mosque for Tarawih where they pray for like an hour.

I know some children who are fasting. I wonder what the negative effects are of that. I think if I was a parent I wouldn't allow it. I think it's also a bad idea to go without water for so long during hot weather but people manage to do it.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

I HATE Ramadan . All the good Lebanese restaurants shut and I can't get a decent Shwerma ( sp?) anywhere . Once again I've been dudded by Islam

 

[Riffraff]

I like Ramadan, makes my football team's matches against the local turkish teams quite a bit easier.

 

[NovaKart]

I HATE Ramadan . All the good Lebanese restaurants shut and I can't get a decent Shwerma ( sp?) anywhere . Once again I've been dudded by Islam

Are their customers mostly Muslim? Otherwise I would think they wouldn't want to lose the business.

I like Ramadan, makes my football team's matches against the local turkish teams quite a bit easier.

Heh, I imagine it would. I heard that many Turks in Germany are more religious than in Turkey. A lot of people in Turkey don't fast.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

The best ones have mostly Muslim clients . My favourite is in an area with a significant , if not majority Muslim population . I often see women in Burkhas which is still very much a rarity in Sydney. You can't buy alcohol in many of the restaurants .

Then next door is the sweet shop . It's out of control

 

[IglooDame]

That's odd, my company's Pakistani (and devoutly Muslim) development chief is visiting our US office this week.

 

[NedimNapoleon]

Meh, nothing strange here, everything still works, here some people make rakia during Ramadan, but its not Rakia season now.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

One thing I didn't realize about Ramadan till I made some Muslim friends is that sure there is the pious depravation thing going on , but when the sun goes down it's " party on dude" . I love visiting my mates house during Ramadan in the evening .

 

[NedimNapoleon]

Its just meal after meal, drink after drink, almost endless.

 

[NovaKart]

That's odd, my company's Pakistani (and devoutly Muslim) development chief is visiting our US office this week.

Well don't offer him any coffee.

Here there are big meals for iftar and lots of stuff going on outside, music and all that.

 

[Mathilda]

What I'm curious about regarding ramadan is the sunrise and sunset times.
Ramadan moves towards midsummer a little bit every year, and already we are in a situation here where the sun sets at 10pm and rises at 5 am.
In a few years times ramadan will be in late June - early July and if you go a bit further north the sun doesn't set at all. So what are you supposed to do then? Not drink for a month? Move?

Another thing I'd like to hear opinions on - how am I as an employer supposed to handle people refusing to drink during the day even when it's hot and as a consequence not feeling well and possibly not being able to perform their to normal standard, possibly worse.

 

[NovaKart]

I've heard that people who live in extreme northern zones follow the time in Mecca instead.

As for unproductive workers, yes that's a tough call when someone's religion gets in the way. At least it's only for a month.

 

[Mathilda]

Any idea how short the night has to be before you get to follow Mecca times?
And does it matter that even after the sun has set it's not exactly dark?

 

[GoodGame]

Wikipedia says there's an exemption from fasting for the elderly and sick, though they are given alternative duty.

 

[NovaKart]

I don't know exactly. I looked it up and there are some Muslims who will follow the Saudi times and some who will follow the time of the nearest country which has more regular hours of sunlight. There isn't a central authority in Islam so I think there will be some variation. Maybe there's an Islamic Council in Finland that has made a decision about it.

I wouldn't think it would matter if it's still daylight because Ramadan wasn't originally designed to be celebrated in Finland. So, there has to be some bending of the rules in this case.

Wikipedia says there's an exemption from fasting for the elderly and sick, though they are given alternative duty.

Yes, also for pregnant women and travellers. There are also certain days in the year outside of Ramadan where it's recommended for Muslims to fast but only ultra-religious people do it.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

After years of studying Islam ( consisting of highly annoying probing of my friend) , I can confirm that here , when sometimes sunset isn't till 9.30pm that it's simply a matter of pushing on .

I also recall there have been sports people here that have sought exemptions from religious leaders when major events have occurred during Ramadan . Soft I say !

 

[aronnax]

What I'm curious about regarding ramadan is the sunrise and sunset times.
Ramadan moves towards midsummer a little bit every year, and already we are in a situation here where the sun sets at 10pm and rises at 5 am.
In a few years times ramadan will be in late June - early July and if you go a bit further north the sun doesn't set at all. So what are you supposed to do then? Not drink for a month? Move?

Another thing I'd like to hear opinions on - how am I as an employer supposed to handle people refusing to drink during the day even when it's hot and as a consequence not feeling well and possibly not being able to perform their to normal standard, possibly worse.

It depends on person to person. Some people follow the time in Mecca, others actually follow the sunlight (though I'll think that's near impossible the further north you go) while I know some people fast for 12 hrs, (7am to 7pm) rather than the moment the sun rises and sets.

As an employer, if your Muslim workers start to feel ill from not eating or drinking, send them home or advise them to see a doctor so they can be reassured that they really are sick and thus permitted to eat and drink.

I find Ramadan fascinating. Setting aside a whole month to reestablish their link and spirituality with God through fasting, discipline and self-control.

 

[aronnax]

After years of studying Islam ( consisting of highly annoying probing of my friend) , I can confirm that here , when sometimes sunset isn't till 9.30pm that it's simply a matter of pushing on .

I also recall there have been sports people here that have sought exemptions from religious leaders when major events have occurred during Ramadan . Soft I say !

Can you imagine?

"Ramadan is our way of connecting with God, of learning and relearning self-control and discipline and we learn this through the simple act of fasting. However, the Olympics are next week and we need that Gold in Horse-Riding for Saudi Arabia, so your excused"

 

[Gooblah]

Ramadan is always interesting around here since there's a pretty sizeable Muslim population....Dearborn essentially shuts down during the day (save for Ford HQ), but during the night, it's one gigantic party. Pretty awesome

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

I know some children who are fasting. I wonder what the negative effects are of that. I think if I was a parent I wouldn't allow it. I think it's also a bad idea to go without water for so long during hot weather but people manage to do it.

Aren't children and seniors exempted from the fast?