a mobilized year

For more than a billion Muslims around the world, Ramadan is observed as a “month of blessing.” Ramadan is the month when Allah revealed the first verses of the Koran, the holy book of Islam, to Muslim's highest prophet, Muhammad. Recitations, fasting and charity are required (by law in many places over here) during Ramadan as spiritual activities that can bring Muslims closer to Allah. While fasting, Muslims do not allow anything, including cigarettes and liquids, to pass their lips. The fast lasts from dawn to dusk every day during the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is also one of the four “haram” months when fighting is discouraged.

Despite all this, Ramadan (at least) recently has marked a significant up tick in violence. On the day Ramadan began last year, four Christian churches were bombed (about 2-3% of the Iraqi population is Christian). The year prior, the beginning of Ramadan saw four near-simultaneous suicide bombers strike the international Red Cross headquarters in Baghdad and three police stations across the city, leaving at least 40 people dead and 200 wounded.

Ramadan begins on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. This year, Ramadan should begin on October 4 (tonight). The actual first day of Ramadan may vary depending on whether someone (reliable) sees the first sliver of a moon (if no one sees it, the beginning of Ramadan is postponed a day). You can tell there's a different atmosphere here among the workers who are Islamic. The local mosque's calls to prayer seem to be longer or more prevelant.

As with last year, many expect Ramadan to bring more violence and bloodshed than other parts of the year. I have not heard a satisfactory reason for this nor do a really understand why it would be so. I’m just hoping it doesn’t. But, we're ready for it, if it does.

# posted by themobilized : 00:30