[Closed] Ramadan Mubarak

Jalaluddin Rumi thank you Sir for your poetry 🙂

Hang on! Pause the thread. 😯

So, at the end of Ramadan, if I pop down the mosque I'll get tasty food treats handed to me? This I did not know. I'll be all over that. I've embraced the other popular Abrahamic gluttony festivals, this sounds like a perfect placing for another one in between.

Unless they are actually standing in Mecca of course

It used to be an odeon cinema around here.

Would it not show more solidarity with the less fortunate to survive bread and water for a month?
To starve yourself then have a huge feast daily seems counterproductive.

Would it not show more solidarity with the less fortunate to survive bread and water for a month?

It's not about showing solidarity with the less fortunate though is it?

"So the unusual cordiality extended to this religion-based thread is due to double standards or fear of violence?" Or because some one is being asked about a topical and unusual aspect of his faith that is of interest.

Any hotel room in the Middle East will have an arrow on the ceiling pointing to Mecca. By encouraging Muslims to attend Mosque for prayers the job of pointing to Mecca is taken care of. In any case basic celestial navigation will get you north, east or west very easily then provided you have a rough idea of the direction of mecca you are sorted.

Mecca is not always East of course, as Ernie's picture shows it could be in any direction, depends where you are.

You asked if the cordiality was due to "fear of violence".

Shrug.

People are generally cordial anyway, mostly. I think people think people who look and act like them should be like them. So the bolshy white atheists think that other white people shoul be like them, cos they know all about being white.

People assume muslims are brown so they are 'other' strange people so they let those funny foreigners do funny foreign things, I suppose.

In other words, people don't think very carefully.

people don't think very carefully.

Your incoherent post proves that.

So the bolshy white atheists ...

The bolshy white atheists got modded out of this thread early doors, as did I (quite rightly) for stupidly rising to the bait.

the cordiality was due to "fear of violence".

Don't think so.
Well done to the mods for setting the tone at the outset and maintaining the level of cordiality.

Someone posts 'I'm doing this on this day of the year' and some people go all weird! No one is being forced to continue reading the thread or get involved with what the OP and others choose to do.

I don't eat marmite, no one forces me to eat or buy marmite and the earth still turns.

Love that bit in 'Four Lions'; the two lads have gone to ****stan, and the dim one is arguing 'Mecca's that way bruv; it's east!'. 😆

So in the fight against Daesh, and any other extremist group of Muslims, why don't the western forces just wait until Ramadan and then launch a huge initiative to retake the land, against a tired opposition?

"As an atheist I do prefer religions who party and celebrate with fantastic food like mince pies or samosas!"

I've always found it's the Muslims and Jews who do the best religion + food thing; the only connection Christians seem to have with food at religious festivals comes from local customs and/or pagan festivals where food was a central part. I've rarely eaten well at a Christian wedding ('canapes'? WTF? I want some proper food!), yet at Jewish and Muslim ones, you're practically forced to feast! 😀

I just read that in the Middle East Vimto has become a traditional Ramadam treat

Vimto derives its name the phrase vim and tonic…it was originally a tonic drink that was supposed to boost your vim and vigour. It later got shortened to vimto. I’m not sure if there is any science to back it up but its claimed that after a day of fasting having a glass of vimto is actually good for you. Vimto sales always increase during Ramadan especially in the Middle East and South East Asia markets.
A friend has just returned from Mecca after performing his mini pilgrimage (Ummrah) and he sent me a picture from one of the local supermarkets…there was a stack of shelves all full with bottles of Vimto but there were warning notices everywhere telling customers that they were restricted to 2 bottles each!!

My colleague at work is fasting and I've promised not to eat/bring food to my desk. Hard enough without water, smelling food would be awful.

Your colleague should be used to it. You shouldn’t feel guilty about eating in front of him. I would never dream of asking my colleagues to not eat or drink in my presence…I’m comfortable with it as it doesn’t bother me. The smell of food is no different from you colleague going home and preparing his evening meal and having to put up with the smells

He also had an app on his phone to show him what direction Mecca was when he had to pray while at work without going to a Mosque.

i have a similar app on my phone..it reminds me of when each of the prayers are, i can set the alarm for each prayer earlier so it gives me time to perform my ablution before praying and it also has a Qibla compass built in which tells me which way to pray.
of course in the era before smartphones..using a normal compass would have been ok. you can also get prayer mats that have a built in qibla compass.
in the uk its quite easy to get the general direction of Mecca. its south east and most sky dishes point in that direction

Ernie Lynch...ignore the enfht...he's trolling and will get bored soon enough and go back under his bridge
i detest those clocks...they dont work most of the time and they look cheap and tacky. to me they are as much of a stereotypical symbol as the ornate gold tissue box on the parcel shelf of a car is.

thanks DeadlyDarcy for your comments!!

So the bolshy white atheists ...
The bolshy white atheists got modded out of this thread early doors, as did I (quite rightly) for stupidly rising to the bait.

the cordiality was due to "fear of violence".
Don't think so.
Well done to the mods for setting the tone at the outset and maintaining the level of cordiality.

i wasnt aware that the Mods had removed any comments from this thread. TBH i think it would have been interesting to see what some of these comments were and the opinions of their authors. its not always about getting all shouty and argumentative, but more about educating and informing people about islam.

It's always a problem trying to explain the inexplicable to someone who demands an explanation but isn't prepared to listen to it.

It often seems to get shouty and argumentative.

more about educating and informing people about islam.

Good job thus far. Keep it up.

Why do aethists feel like they have to push their agenda onto someones beliefs? Bizarre and sort of has a feeling of irony.

Faith is a beautiful thing. Live and let live

Would it not show more solidarity with the less fortunate to survive bread and water for a month?
To starve yourself then have a huge feast daily seems counterproductive.

hopefully you'll find the answer to your question in here...

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar; Muslims worldwide observe this as a month of fasting. This annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month lasts 29–30 days based on the visual sightings of the crescent moon. Fasting is obligatory for adult Muslims.
While fasting from dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from consuming food, drinking liquids, smoking, and engaging in sexual relations; in some interpretations they also refrain from swearing.
Ramadan is a time of spiritual reflection, improvement and increased devotion and worship. Muslims are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam. The fast (sawm) begins at dawn and ends at sunset. In addition to abstaining from eating and drinking, Muslims also increase restraint, such as abstaining from sexual relations and generally sinful speech and behaviour.
The act of fasting is to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the soul by freeing it from harmful impurities. Ramadan also teaches Muslims how to better practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate; thus encouraging actions of generosity and compulsory charity.
It becomes compulsory for Muslims to start fasting when they reach puberty, so long as they are healthy, sane and have no disabilities or illnesses. Many children endeavour to complete as many fasts as possible as practice for later life.
Exemptions to fasting are travel, menstruation, severe illness, pregnancy, and breast-feeding. However, many Muslims with medical conditions insist on fasting to satisfy their spiritual needs, although it’s not recommended by the hadith. Those who are unable to fast still must make up the days missed later.
Charity is very important in Islam, and even more so during Ramadan. Zak?t, often translated as "the poor-rate", is obligatory as one of the pillars of Islam; a fixed percentage is required to be given to the poor of the person's savings. Sadaqah is voluntary charity in given above and beyond what is required from the obligation of Zak?t. In Islam all good deeds are more handsomely rewarded in Ramadan than in any other month of the year. Consequently, many will choose this time to give a larger portion, if not all, of the Zak?t for which they are obligated to give. In addition, many will also use this time to give a larger portion of Sadaqah in order to maximize the reward that will await them at the Last Judgment.

In many Muslim countries, it is a common sight to see people giving more food to the poor and the homeless, and even to see large public areas for the poor to come and break their fast.

Of course as the month progresses it becomes tougher physically and mentally but like many other Muslims, I’ve been conditioned from a young age to be able to do this…but what I tell myself is this…there are many people around the world for whom a typical day during Ramadan is an everyday occurrence…the hardship I suffer is nothing compared to what they go through…at least I have the benefit of a nice meal at the end of the day to look forward to…this is where the charity bit comes in as we are encouraged to do more for the less fortunate, the increased prayers during Ramadan also contribute towards this as we ask god for his forgiveness for any sins we have committed and for the suffering of the less fortunate are eased….this compassion is not just for other Muslims but for all people…you have to remember that Muslims are regarded as people of the book in the same way as Jews and Christians…we are taught to treat each human being as a fellow human and nothing less.

Would it not show more solidarity with the less fortunate to survive bread and water for a month?

I was going to say - rather than gestures, Muslims are obliged to actually help out in practical terms as gonzy said most excellently.

I was thinking about this in relation to exams. What do young Muslims do when Ramadan coincides with gcse or a-levels like they do this year? Do the put it off until a later date?

So the unusual cordiality extended to this religion-based thread is due to double standards or fear of violence?

It does seem to be quite comically right on.

It has inspired me though.
I'm going to celebrate Ramadram and make sure malt whisky is taken daily for the next month 🙂

Why do aethists feel like they have to push their agenda onto someones beliefs?

Why do aethists feel like they have to push their agenda onto someones beliefs?

because we are angry that belief in a bunch of fairy stories has so much influence on the world, and indeed the lack of such belief offers mortal danger in many parts of the world :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrimination_against_atheists

On LBC a while ago an ex-labour councillor was saying that when she went round canvassing and visited a muslim household she often had to sit in another room from the men folk even though they were in discussion.

That is outrageous in this country in my view, especially as 42% percent of people in this country say they have no religion.

anyway - Day 1 report:
didnt go too bad. i didnt feel hungry but i did feel absolutely shattered.
the lack of sleep at the weekend.
the number of times i had to stop myself from falling asleep at my desk was unbelievable.
i drive into work after i have done the school run, the wife then takes the car off me when she finishes in the afternoon and i then catch the bus home. last nights journey home was like sitting in a mobile convection oven for an hour
managed to get some sleep when i got home but not that much.
hopefully today will be better

Sadly no trolling here. Christians posting on stw are regularly torn a new bumhole for their efforts so am intrigued with this thread and one possible reason is the elephant in the room which is sadly the reality.

Christians quite rightly get a hard time in my opinion, but being critical of Muslims is, for some reason, classed as racism. Although if someone can explain to me how a group of people who CHOOSE to believe in a load of ridiculous stories makes them a race then I'm all ears.

Now, this militant atheist is off to take out Father Christmas...

Sadly no trolling here. Christians posting on stw are regularly torn a new bumhole for their efforts so am intrigued with this thread and one possible reason is the elephant in the room which is sadly the reality.

Shall we start with your views of the Irish and work our way out across the globe or do you want to just go straight for the dark skinned folk?

The reason this happens is I am personally more respectful of other cultures than I am off my own.

For example I would stand for any national anthem but my own
In the same way a black person can say the n word and you cannot - well not on here anyway

It's almost like we are all different, with different beliefs and opinions, how has this been allowed to happen?!!

Really enlightening and educational thread, thank you Gonzy et al.

I found the thread interesting, thanks for posting up some of the detail about what happens and why.

In the same way a black person can say the n word and you cannot - well not on here anyway

and why is that - surely that is just as racist? If the N word is sayable, than anyone can say it otherwise it is discriminatory.

Its 2016 and still some people need this stuff explaining to them.

Christians posting on stw are regularly torn a new bumhole for their efforts so am intrigued with this thread and one possible reason is the elephant in the room which is sadly the reality.

If that elephant was real, instead of a figment of your imagination, how come Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson are still alive?

Surely if Muslims really are that touchy and violent that people on a MTB website are being careful, then those two would've been murdered years ago.

Its 2016 and still some people need this stuff explaining to them.

and why is that - surely that is just as racist? If the N word is sayable, than anyone can say it otherwise it is discriminatory.

I stand with you, brother - white people are being dreadfully oppressed by not being allowed to use a derogatory term for black people without being called racist.

Its 2016 and still some people need this stuff explaining to them.

explain what?

If everyone is treated equally then no-one has any extra rights over anyone else to do anything, or are you recommending positive discrimination?

Why not start a new thread to discuss. This one is a very nice thread in which the OP can tell us about his experience

and why is that - surely that is just as racist? If the N word is sayable, than anyone can say it otherwise it is discriminatory.

Only women can go into womens toilets so that is sexist
SO what you need to do is reclaim that space for oppressed men as and you can shout the n word as you do this.
I am certain everyone will understand why you did it and get who the racists and sexists ones are

I stand with you, brother - white people are being dreadfully oppressed by not being allowed to use a derogatory term for black people without being called racist.

so why are black people allowed to use a derogatory word for black people?

So if I heard someone say it I would have to conciously recognise their color/race before determining whether it was racist or not?

Whereas before I was happily going along treating everyone the same and not worrying about or making any judgements about where they were from or the color of their skin. I have been forced to become racist.

This one is a very nice thread in which the OP can tell us about his experience

Yes, and very welcome it is too. Cycling is quite male and WASP, this forum even more so.

Only women can go into womens toilets so that is sexist

well that is starting to change as a result of transgender people.

All they need to do is have seperate toilets for people that don't p1ss all over the seat, and toilets for those that do.

I have been forced to become racist.

Those naughty black people, forcing you to become racist by calling you racist if you use a racist word. How horrible for you.

Well, it was nice whilst it lasted.

I wonder if taking a High 5 before sunrise would help?

Putting my religious prejudice aside, I hope it goes well for you O.P.

My best friend has to get up early to eat/drink, stuffy train to London and works in Canary Wharf.
Already had text from him and he told me he gets to it after a few days.

Sometimes he stops on one day if he gets under the weather and adds the day at the end.

Not everyone works in cool conditions, feel sorry for the warehouse staff but it's a choice I respect.

Actually.

Why not start a new thread to discuss. This one is a very nice thread in which the OP can tell us about his experience

<mod>
Let's try that as a new tactic. Do that, split the thread, there's two separate discussions here.

I'll delete further replies to this splinter on this thread. You're more than welcome to discuss it on another.
</mod>

EDIT: I'm going to close this thread temporarily to give people chance to take a breather and move this conversation. I'll reopen it shortly.

And we're back in the room.

i'm hungry...only 5.5 hours to go 😀

Cougar - Moderator

And we're back in the room.

But not the kitchen.

And that bloody easter bunny...

My kids are on a bloody chocolate fast for weeks after he's been (and its funny how it's always a he isn't it...?).

I actually get angry when I'm hungry.... almost irrational ??

I've learnt to recognise this and to EAT something quick.

Not sure how I'd cope fasting all day.

Do you get used to it?

And do you go straight in.... ie its almost like cold turkey... or do you "train" in the weeks leading up, having the odd day fasting here or there to try and get used to it?

I actually get angry when I'm hungry.... almost irrational ??

Hangry.

Me too. Like some kind of huge green rage monster.

[img] [/img]

Is this you,Ro5ey?

[img] [/img]

Yep

Scarily accurate

😳

And I have a stash of marathons in the gloves box of the car

Nice dress.

Not sure how I'd cope fasting all day.

Do you get used to it?

Of course you do. Having done some quite strict low carb/low calorie dieting, you learn a lot about your relationship with food and how you react to it and cope with it.

Nice dress

No snickers 😯

😆

enfht - Member
Sadly no trolling here. Christians posting on stw are regularly torn a new bumhole for their efforts so am intrigued with this thread and one possible reason is the elephant in the room which is sadly the reality.

the reality is you are wrong.....

http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/merry-christmas-2015

http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/to-all-at-singletrack-towers

Yeah but all that cordiality extended to Christians at Christmas was probably due to [i]"fear of violence".[/i]

I actually get angry when I'm hungry.... almost irrational ??

I've learnt to recognise this and to EAT something quick.

Not sure how I'd cope fasting all day.

Do you get used to it?

And do you go straight in.... ie its almost like cold turkey... or do you "train" in the weeks leading up, having the odd day fasting here or there to try and get used to it?

i do get cranky when i'm hungry but i've learn to control it to a certain extent
mind over matter...but i have good days and bad days
no training or preparation is done leading up to it...just straight into it and try and hit the ground running

i'm 39 now...and i was first allowed to fast when i was 9/10 years old....so my mind and body are used to it and i find i can easily switch into ramadan mode
my oldest son is nearly 8 but he's already kept one full days fast last year and a few half days. this year he will do a few half days and we may allow him to do a full day but we will play it by ear

for me the lack of food or water isnt a problem...its the disruption to my sleep pattern

usually i sleep from 11pm to 6am so i get a solid 7 hours but during ramadan i will break my fast at around 9.30pm which is then followed by the evening prayer. after this at around 11.30pm there is another prayer (taraweeh) which takes longer. if its done at the mosque its usual for the imam to recite 1 chapter of the Quran during each evenings prayer so all 30 get recited throughout the month. by 12.30am i'm pretty much ready to sleep but i need to get up again at around 1.30am to prepare the final meal before the next days fast starts...so i usually make a judgement call on whether i sleep or stay awake. if i sleep then i run the risk of sleeping through and missing the final meal slot so i end up fasting without eating a final meal
usually i stay awake and after the final meal is finished and the morning prayer is done it is 3am so i go to sleep to wake up again at 6/7am
so during the week i'm running off 3/4 hours sleep. both me and the wife try to catch up on this by getting 1 hour naps in the evening after work or at the weekends when we try to give ourselves a lie-in but with 3 kids its hard to do that so we take it in turns. she'll have saturday as a lie-in and i'll sort the kids out and on sunday its my day for a lie-in

im not saying its completely easy because it isnt but to me...its worth it.
the sense of accomplishment you feel as each of the 30 fasts are done is amazing.
the taste of a cold glass of water after a day of fasting is something to relish...it makes you appreciate some of the things that we take for granted

Hora - you'll find this very interesting
http://gu.com/p/4kgfb/sfb

I was thinking about this in relation to exams. What do young Muslims do when Ramadan coincides with gcse or a-levels like they do this year? Do the put it off until a later date?

One of my maths evening class students was unusually bad with simple mental maths on Monday evening (she's usually better than me). She apologised and said it was because she was fasting.

Her second maths exam is on Thursday morning so I'm hoping that the earlier time will help, or that she allows herself a normal breakfast that day and makes it up later.

Why make 8.5% of your life more difficult than it needs be?
All the best 🙂

Why make 8.5% of your life more difficult than it needs be?

8.5% isnt actually that steep, if you really want a tough climb try 20%+.

Or you could just sit on the sofa and do nothing, would make your life easier.

Exams: there was a proposal / discussion recently about moving exam times for everyone to avoid Ramadan, it was not taken forward. One issue is that Ramadan moves around quite a bit from year to year with respect to our calendar.

I wonder what percentage of Muslims in the UK observe the fast and to what degree ?

with regards to exams...Jambalaya is pretty much spot on. just to give you an example of how the lunar calendar has moved over the years...my eldest son will be 9 in september...he was born in the middle of Ramadan.

I wonder what percentage of Muslims in the UK observe the fast and to what degree ?

there'll always be a small minority who dont fast or choose not to for whatever reason, as there will also be that small percentage who sneakily cheat...they'll tell people that they're fasting but really they'll disappear off for a sneaky snack/drink/fag etc.
i had a friend who used to do that a lot

but it would also be interesting to see how many Christians observe Lent and how many of the Jewish faith observe Yom Kipur.
seeing the 3 faiths side by side for a comparison would make for some interesting reading

seeing the 3 faiths side by side for a comparison would make for some interesting reading

I suspect knowing the answer there would be worse than not knowing!

Day 2 report:
went better than day 1...but still trying ot catch up on the sleep and stay alert during the day. i didnt feel hungry either
the number of times i had to stop myself from falling asleep at my desk was unbelievable.
journey home on the bus was pretty quick
managed to get a 1 hour kip before sunset and managed to get another 1 hour kip before sunrise. but that went out of the window when te youngest woke up and refused to go back to sleep...he finally knocked off and 4.30am.

so i still have a sleep deficit... 😯

Cheers Gonzy, his poetry his stunningly beautiful

day 3 report:

still struggling with the sleep deficit. feeling drowsy at work but slowly my body is starting to adapt.
i dont even feel hungry during the day. having said that we're being careful at home as to how much food we make. in the past our eyes have been bigger than our bellies and food has gone to waste...but now where making just about enough for us to eat and feel full...however we've not really been eating healthily yet so a lot of the food has been fatty kebabs and samosas.

i was going to weigh myself just on the night before ramadan started but i never got round to it but last week i weighed in at 69kg/152lb...i reckon i'm at least a couple of lb/kg over that already

something for you to all chuckle at...i got on the bus yesterday to go home...it was quite humid and warm and i was quite drowsy so naturally i nodded off with the headphones on.
what should have been a 7 mile 1 hour bus ride...ended up being a 21 mile bus ride lasting 2.5 hours....the wife was pissing her sides laughing when i phoned her to tell her what happened...so much for getting sympathy off her 😯

Do you get paid a lower rate during Ramadan as you are clearly not working at normal capacity?

I would think observance of Ramadan is way above Christians following the whole of lent. Even when I was a regular Church goer onservance was so-so and the commitment required of "giving up something" is much less. For Yom Kippur its only a day so again not nearly as tough.

what should have been a 7 mile 1 hour bus ride...ended up being a 21 mile bus ride lasting 2.5

Do you get paid a lower rate during Ramadan as you are clearly not working at normal capacity?

no i dont get paid at a lower rate. my manager is ok with it seeing as most weeks i bust a gut at work puling off miracles. plus i was owed 3 hours of TOIL which i've waived as a gesture of goodwill so he's ok with me slacking off a bit...but i'm back to full capacity today

Ouch

i got a 1.5 hour kip on the bus so i'll take it as a blessing in disguise...i'd struggle to get that at home with the kids wreaking havoc

So to beat my Hangry demons and to show a little support to our OP... I'm going to give fasting a go.

Nothing compared to Gonzy's great commitment but for a day next week nothing will pass my lips during Mecca's daylight hours.

If that goes well, I give a full day a go

Anyone else fancy giving it try ?

So to beat my Hangry demons and to show a little, and I do mean little, support to our OP

I'm going to give fasting a go....

Nothing compared to Gonzy's great commitment but for a day next week nothing will pass my lips during Mecca's daylight hours.

If that goes well, I give a full day a go

Any one else fancy giving it try ?

wow...that would be awesome!!
right at the beginning of this thread i mentioned that i would have a Ramadan challenge to everyone...and this was going to be it.

so here it is...my challenge to you is to simply fast for one day...
lets be specific and say fast on Monday (the reason for this is that those who do take part will be at work...focussing on the job should hopefully help pass some of the time and remove some of the distraction of thirst and hunger)

you dont have to do it for religious reason like me...just do it to see if you can do it. maybe even start with the intention and see how long you can last...can you do a full day or do you need to concede early on? see if you can challenge yourself and show self discipline and resist temptation...i'm pretty sure most of you have it in you to be able to do this.
as much as it is physical stress you will be putting yourself through there is also the mental/emotional stress you put yourself through but if you can do this then you can do anything

think about it...no food or water for roughly 19.5 hours (that also includes no smoking and no "how yer father")...you cant swallow your own saliva either...basically no food or water shall pass your lips and enter your body...one hell of a challenge yeah...but achievable with the right amount of focus and determination

i'll tell you something else...we live in a society where we can have anything we want...all the creature comforts and material needs we could wish for
but other parts of the world and in fact within sertain aspects of our own society there are those who dont have what we have
there are those who dont have a roof over their head, clean clothes on their backs, food on the table
some of them dont have clean running water and dont know when their next meal will come...to them food and water is a massive luxury...whereas we take it for granted...so go on fast for a day and step into the shoes of the less fortunate and feel their pain and suffering...you choose to do it for one day...but many of those less well off than us dont get to choose this way of life

after your fast is over...take out a cold bottle of water and have a drink...see how it tastes
take out that lovely hot meal you've prepared and tuck in and again see how good it tastes
then have a think about how we sometimes dont appreciate the things we take for granted that others would die for

just one day...thats all you need to do...it'll be a challenge but it'll be worth it...even if its to say you did it in one of the toughest months

a lot of people have wished me luck and have shown some mutual respect and admiration for what i'm doing...but i've had 30 years of experience and training....if you can fast for one day then to me...it would a greater achievement that me keeping one fast
i'd have nothing but respect and admiration for you for doing it

ll tell you something else...we live in a society where we can have anything we want...all the creature comforts and material needs we could wish for
but other parts of the world and in fact within sertain aspects of our own society there are those who dont have what we have

I'm of the opinion that not eating food when it's available is profoundly privileged. Not being able to eat for 15 hours makes you feel better about yourself but at the end of the day, comparing that to people actually starving is hilarious - they don't get to eat at the end of the day and they probably think that people who fast are bat shit insane as when they do get food, they pile on as many calories as possible.

Neither do I think that you should have to fast to be able to empathise with people who have no food, that should come naturally.

I also think that it's telling that possibly the most unequal countries in the world are those that observe fasting rituals, whilst secular western countries have some of the lowest rates of inequality.

observance of Ramadan is way above Christians following the whole of lent

This is likely very true, but there will be a number of reasons for it. The first is that you Latins have always bee much more lightweight with respect to your Lenten fasting rules than we *Greeks. 😉

*Not literal Greeks; just of the Eastern tradition.

Yep for ALL your reasons ... I'm in

This Monday from when I wake up to 4pm (Mecca sunset, taking into account time differences)

If I don't serious harm anyone then next Monday I'll go to 7pm (Mecca sunset local time)

Then then try and do the the full 19 hours the following Monday.

TurnerGuy - Member

Do you get paid a lower rate during Ramadan as you are clearly not working at normal capacity?

Did you post this at work? I did.