Ramadan has something to offer all faiths

I have not fasted for many long years, yet certain aspects of the spirit of Ramadan still inspire my faithless bones.

By KHALED DIAB
Muslims shop for Ramadan decorations in Jerusalem. (photo credit: Ammar Awad/Reuters)
Muslims shop for Ramadan decorations in Jerusalem.
(photo credit: Ammar Awad/Reuters)
Ramadan is when Muslims fast and feast, but the holy month has something to offer those of other faiths, or of no particular faith.
Ramadan has a tendency to bend space and time. For those participating in the fast, especially in the summer, the daytime hours crawl by like a snail on tranquilizers, while daily routines are like running a marathon through a desert of thirst. In contrast, nights are transformed into veritable days, with cafés and restaurants bursting at the seams late into the night, especially in my hometown of Cairo.
In the Holy Land, the holy month has even resulted in Israelis and Palestinians temporarily living in different time zones, as the Palestinian territories switch to winter time in a bid to make the fast a little easier. Some cynics on both sides might quip that, Ramadan or not, Israelis and Palestinians already live in different time zones, not to mention on different planets.
But Ramadan, despite being primarily an occasion for Muslims, provides a golden opportunity for soul-searching, reflection and bridge-building in this troubled land.
Even hard-line Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who has been a harsh critic of Islam and who warned of an Islamist takeover in Egypt during the early days of the revolution there, tried to get into the spirit of the season with a video in which he wished Muslims around the world a “Ramadan Karim.”
Not to be outdone, the IDF announced the easing of restrictions in the West Bank and Gaza, which, though far from adequate, at least allows Palestinians some extra mobility to visit their families during Ramadan. However, the restrictions on men under 45 praying at Al-Aksa Mosque, Islam’s third-holiest site, are still in place, much to the frustration of Palestinians. As I walked through the Old City on a Friday morning last month to take my son to school, it felt eerie to be almost the only young man on the streets.
Ramadan also illustrates that, despite current political differences, Israelis and Palestinians have a lot of common religious ground. Fasting is common to the three Abrahamic faiths, as well as to other religions.
Ramadan is not just for the religious; it also has something to offer secularists like myself. Fasting on Ramadan was the only pillar of Islam I ever practiced consistently. This might have been because the month carries a secular appeal: Fasting is not just a ritual for its own sake, but is also about exercising control over your physical urges and empathizing with the less fortunate.
I have not fasted for many long years, yet certain aspects of the spirit of Ramadan still inspire my faithless bones.
Despite the ready tempers, traffic jams, runaway consumerism and irritability of some, not to mention the Palestinian love for loud nightly fireworks, Ramadan is marked by a special spirit of solidarity, camaraderie, unison and communalism.
Ramadan nights have a special enchantment, a kind of festive magic. And it is this dimension of Ramadan that I miss the most when I am in Europe: the delicious delicacies at communal iftars (the traditional meal following the daily fast during Ramadan), sentimental soaps and corny comedies on TV, socializing in smoky cafés late into the night, pre-dawn beans on a Cairo street corner. Although Jerusalem is not as lively as sleepless Cairo, and most Palestinian Muslims spend Ramadan visiting family and friends, there are still Ramadan-night entertainments to be found here.
Whether you fast or not, are Muslim or not, the social and cultural aspects of Ramadan are open to all.
The writer is an Egyptian-Belgian journalist and blogger currently living in Jerusalem. His website is www.chronikler.com.