Muslim Inates in UK Offered Ham

From the Telegraph and Argus

Muslim inmates offered ham - October 26, 2007

By Michael Black

Muslim prisoners at Leeds Prison were offered ham sandwiches for their packed lunch during the holy month of Ramadan, it has been revealed.

The Prison Service confirmed that inmates at the category B prison which includes many Bradford men, were given "inappropriate" menu cards during the religious period, but said the mistake was corrected straightaway.

Some of those offered the sandwiches are reportedly considering suing the prison for up to £2million compensation, claiming it was a breach of their human rights.
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Leeds Prison holds more than 1,200 male prisoners, of which more than 200 are Muslim.

Islam forbids Muslims to eat ham and pork at all times, but the prisoners reportedly said the incident was made worse because it happened during the holy month of Ramadan.

The prison denied that any Muslim prisoners had been given ham sandwiches but admitted there was a mix-up with the menus.

"An inappropriate menu card was printed during Ramadan. This mistake was rectified immediately. Appropriate menu options for the Iftaar evening meal were available throughout Ramadan," a Prison Service spokesman said.

"Prison Service guidelines state that prisoners must have a diet which meets the requirements of their religion."

Next year, in a separate case, 16 Muslim inmates from Leeds Prison are suing over claims of mistreatment, including being given food that goes against the rules of their religion.

Kate Maynard, of law firm Hickman and Rose Solicitors, said: "One of the issues they are worried about is that they were being told food was halal when it wasn't.

"They are taking this to court to try to change conditions in the prison and make conditions better."

1:36pm Friday 26th October 2007

Breaking the Fast With Family, Friends And Late-Night Fun

Sally Safaa el-Din, 21, right, enjoys an early morning out with friends in Cairo after she and family members broke the daily Ramadan fast with a meal at home after sunset.
(By Nora Younis For The Washington Post)

By Ellen Knickmeyer
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, October 5, 2007; A14

CAIRO

The sun slipped behind the high-rises on Haram Street. Drivers hit their gas pedals and their car horns, alternately bullying and joking their way through lanes crowded with fellow Cairenes, all racing to reach home before sunset signaled the end of the day's fast during this holy month of Ramadan.

In one Haram Street apartment, Maii Younis placed pigeons in a skillet to brown, handling the birds carefully to keep their rice stuffing from bursting forth. Her daughter Sally, 21, circuited between kitchen and dining room, laying out the china, talking to her mother and guests, and using the kitchen phone to make plans to go out with friends after the family meal.

In Cairo and other cities all around the Middle East, authorities held torches to ancient cannons to signal, as has been done for centuries, that the sun had set -- and that Muslims who had fasted from dawn to dusk for Ramadan could now begin their evening meal, or iftar.

Sally and Maii switched on a bulky radio by the dining room table. State radio came on live from Cairo's 12th-century Citadel in the heart of the old city.

"Madfaaa al-iftaaaar!" an unseen commandant blared over the radio, announcing the cannon with a windup worthy of the Worldwide Wrestling Federation.

"Edrabbb!" he shouted, the order to fire. BOOM!

The family laughed, excited.

Sally abruptly turned serious. "We have to eat NOW," she said, cradling her empty stomach with both hands.

Normally a chaotic, congested city of 16 million people going about 16 million purposes, Cairo for a few moments moved to a single Ramadan rhythm.

Blue flames flickered and fell simultaneously on gas stoves across the city, as Cairo's wives and mothers warmed food for the iftar table. Cairo's streets were emptied of all but a few tardy travelers.

At intersections, do-gooders thrust packets of dates and cups of water toward those who hadn't been able to make it home in time.

Waiters stood by tables set up on sidewalks and under overpasses, ready to serve free iftar meals to workers and poor families, courtesy of Cairo's wealthy.

Sally's father, car dealer Ahmed Safaa el-Din, and her older brother, Ahmad, glided through the front door just before and just after sunset.

What the family and their guests ate: the pigeons, lamb cutlets, cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and spices, pasta soup with duck broth, cakes with minced meat, rice cooked in milk, boiled greens and salad.

"We eat like this every day," Maii insisted, before dropping her claim under gentle mockery from the diners.

The family normally goes to Ramadan prayers after the meal -- one cleric in Cairo, known as "Turbo-sheik," is famous for getting worshipers in and out in a half-hour. But this night the building's elevator was out of order, making the trip to the mosque too difficult for the parents, Maii said.

Stuffed, the family moved first to its formal living room, with its high-backed, gilded chairs, then eased back to the parents' bedroom, lolling on the bed before the family's only television set, as Maii and Ahmed idly stroked Sally's hair.

They talked of politics and the children's jobs. For Ahmad, 25, a civil engineering degree had brought a job as a cellphone engineer, climbing towers without a safety harness.

Sally's mother spoke of the English training Sally had received, and wistfully of her putting it to use professionally. But Sally was selling five or six cars a month at a Peugeot dealership, in a job she had gotten with her father's help. She was making good money.

Sally's dream job, she said, was to sell BMWs.

They nibbled on sweets, ate rice pudding, then apricot pudding, easing it down with apricot juice and hibiscus essence and tea.

Ahmad, who lives by himself, excused himself early. He went first to his mother and then to his father, formally shaking their hands before leaving.

At 11, Sally changed her T-shirt for a satiny top. She stepped out into a city roaring with Ramadan revelry -- children setting off firecrackers, adults yakking in packed sidewalk cafes.

Midnight found her at a cafe embracing friends, many of them young women accompanied by husbands or brothers. Hands slipped into purses, pulling out cigarettes the young friends hadn't dared smoke at home.

A friend's 14-year-old brother -- his sagging eyelids a reminder that his school day had begun at 7:30 a.m. -- began winning at cards.

By 2, Sally and her friends were moving to another restaurant, fortifying themselves with a heavy meal of ful, or boiled beans, for the next day of fasting.

Sally slipped back into the family home, where her mother sat quietly reading the Koran, then dozing through the Ramadan night.

Before dawn, the cycle began again. A drummer moved down Haram Street, pounding to wake up the people in time for a last meal before sunrise began the day's fast.

"Wake up! Wake up!" he cried, calling out to residents by name as he moved past in the dark.

In her bed, Sally slept on.

Ramadan shows more West Bankers turn to God

By Wafa Amr
Reuters
Tuesday, October 2, 2007; 8:54 PM

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Five years ago restaurants in Ramallah would stay open all day and serve beer throughout Ramadan. This year virtually all removed alcohol from the menu completely and many closed during the fasting hours.

The change highlights what some see as a trend: faced with a sluggish economy, infighting between rival factions and low hopes for peace with Israel and a state of their own, thousands of Palestinians seem to be turning to God.

The evidence is patchy and anecdotal, and for some there is a hint of coercion. But 24-year-old Huda, who declined to give her last name, said her friends could hardly believe it when, as a liberal young Palestinian woman, she decided to observe the fast.

"I'm not a fanatic but I have some religious feelings inside me and I wanted to try fasting this year," she said. "My friends are astonished at this sudden change."

Not all Palestinians have turned religious -- indeed what many see as the politicization of Islam by the factions, whose warfare in the Gaza Strip gave Hamas control of the enclave in June, is driving some away from mosques.

But university professor Marwan Abu Khalaf, 50, says the number of young men attending the mosque next door to his house has grown steadily.

"I have prayed regularly for the past 10 years and I can say there has been a rise of about 25 percent in the number of young men who come to pray," Abu Khalaf told Reuters.

In traditionally conservative West Bank cities like Hebron, Qalqilya or Tulkarm women have generally worn headscarves. But some say the rise of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and in large West Bank cities like Nablus has prompted more women to wear veils and men to grow beards.

In Ramallah -- the West Bank's economic hub and for years a thriving secular city -- some women are adopting more modest dress. Fewer wear short skirts or sleeveless shirts in central Ramallah while more also don a headscarf and long robes.

"Women who do wear short skirts feel out of place or are harassed by comments from men on the streets," said Eman Hammouri, director of the city's Popular Arts Centre.

DEEPENING FAITH

Both Fatah and Hamas are trying to exploit Palestinians' new-found piety for their own gain. Hamas has used mosques and schools to spread its political views while Fatah has been using Friday prayers in the Gaza Strip to protest against Hamas' rule.

Some Palestinians say militant groups are using religion as an excuse to force their will on people.

Osama Khalaf, owner of Darna, one of Ramallah's best known and most fashionable restaurants, said he stopped serving alcohol during Ramadan for fear of retaliation by secular armed groups using religion as an excuse to throw their weight around.

Khalaf said both Muslim and Christian West Bankers, who make up about 2 percent of Palestinians, were becoming more religious amid tougher living conditions. Crucifixes are worn more widely and church attendance appears up.

"Not only the Muslims are becoming more religious," Khalaf said. "But the Christian minority are also adhering much more strictly to Christianity as a reaction to the more religious environment around them."

INFIGHTING

Last month, a woman wearing the hijab and covering her face with a black veil in a doctor's waiting room shouted at the secretary for watching Arab music videos on television -- many Muslims consider such material to be prohibited by Islam.

"This has never happened before in my clinic," said the doctor, who asked to remain anonymous.

Some analysts said a new sense of despair may have prompted more Palestinians to seek comfort in religion.

Fed up with corruption within the secular Fatah faction that for decades dominated the political scene, Palestinians elected a Hamas government in 2006 parliamentary elections, hoping the Islamist group would rid local politics of sleaze.

Hamas seized control of the more conservative Gaza Strip in June after violent clashes with Fatah, prompting President Mahmoud Abbas to sack the government and appoint a new Fatah-backed administration.

Despite a new U.S.-led drive for peace with Israel, the internal strife and the split between Gaza and the West Bank has for most Palestinians jettisoned hopes for an independent Palestinian state, at least for now.

"In the absence of alternatives, they turn to God for spiritual stability and security," said Mahmoud Habbash, agriculture minister in the West Bank's Fatah-backed government.

(Additional reporting by Wael al-Ahmad in Jenin and Atef Saad in Nablus)

Jews and Muslims Break Fast Together

From the Harvard Crimson

Published On 9/24/2007

By ADITI BALAKRISHNA
Crimson Staff Writer

Members of Harvard’s Jewish and Muslim communities broke fasts together Saturday night to celebrate two of the holiest holidays in each religion and to highlight the commonalities between the two faiths.

Saturday was the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, and Muslims are observing Ramadan, a month which focuses on charity and religious piety. Both holidays require followers to fast until sundown.

Batool Z. Ali ’10, the treasurer of the Harvard Islamic Society, said that organizers hoped the event would provide an opportunity to meet and befriend people of the other faith.

“We wanted to emphasize what is so similar about our faiths, as a bridge for interfaith understanding,” said Islamic Society Vice President Hasan K. Siddiqi ’08.

The break fast occurred at 7:30 p.m., after members of both faiths completed their prayer services. After dinner, Muslim students held another set of prayers and invited Jewish students to observe, Siddiqi said. Students of other faiths were also welcomed at the event.

Neil C. Murthy ’08, a Catholic student and the chair of community service for the Interfaith Council, said he appreciated the meal both because many of his blockmates are Muslim and because of the good food.

Benjamin K. Glaser ’09 joked that he too came to the event because he was “disappointed by the food at other break fasts.”

He added that he thought the event was important because of the “spirit of intercultural understanding” it promoted.

In a speech before the dinner, Islamic Society President Shaheer A. Rizvi ’08 encouraged those in attendance to make at least one lasting friendship during the evening—to “leave the politics aside and make a personal connection” that would facilitate difficult discussions in the future.

Indeed, at every table, members of both faiths sat together to enjoy their meal and create these relationships.

“I came this year because of the war... there’s so much hatred in the Middle East,” said Mia P. Walker ’10. “If we can unite here, there’s hope.”

Rizvi estimated that 150 to 200 people—including undergraduates, graduate students, professors, and family members—came to the meal, which was co-sponsored by the Islamic Society, Harvard Hillel, and the Harvard Interfaith Council. Siddiqi said this was the third consecutive year for the event, though students had attended similar services off and on in the past.

Ramadan Karim from Queer Muslim Revolution

Ramadan to Begin on September 13, 2007; Eid-ul-Fitr on October 13, 2007

From the Islamic Society of North America

1st of Ramadan will be on Thursday, September 13, 2007
1st of Shawwal (Eid-ul-Fitr) will be on Saturday, October 13, 2007

Preparing for Ramadan

Pakistani Muslims pray on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in Lahore. (BBC)

A vendor displays sweets on the shelves of a shop in Najaf, 99 miles south of Baghdad, September 11, 2007, ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

REUTERS/Ali Abu Shish

Palestinian women are seen at a Ramadan decorated shop in Jerusalem's Old City, September 11, 2007.

REUTERS/Mahfouz Abu Turk

A boy puts up decorative lights, commonly displayed on the exteriors of homes during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, for sale at a shop in Amman, Jordan, September 11, 2007.

REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

A man works on a Fanoos, or a Ramadan lantern used during the Muslim fasting month, as he puts them up for sale at his shop in Amman, Jordan, September 11, 2007.

REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

Malaysia Snoop Squad Targets Ramadan Rule Breakers

From Reuters

Malaysia snoop squad targets Ramadan rule breakers

Sun Sep 16, 2007 11:57pm EDT

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian state ruled by a hardline Islamist party has set up a snoop squad to catch Muslims who ignore a religious ban on eating, drinking and smoking during the fasting month of Ramadan.

Ramadan, which began last Thursday in Muslim-majority Malaysia, is the holiest month of the Islamic calendar. Practising Muslims abstain from food, drink and sex during daylight hours in a discipline intended to purify their souls.

Religious officials in the northeastern state of Kelantan, ruled by the opposition Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS), have detailed 10 municipal officials in plainclothes to keep watch at food outlets, the New Straits Times newspaper said on Monday.

"This is the first time the council is taking action as we have received numerous complaints about those who eat openly during the fasting period," said Azman Mohamad Daham, a municipal spokesman in Kota Baru, the state capital.

People who fall foul of the religious law face a fine of 20 ringgit ($6), while the food vendor could be fined up to 500 Malaysian ringgit ($144), the paper added.

PAS wants to turn multi-religious Malaysia into an Islamic state. Muslims form about 60 percent of a population of 26 million, Buddhists about 20 percent, Christians 10 percent and Hindus about 6 percent.

High Holy Days for Jews and Muslims

High holy days for Jews and Muslims

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - In an unusual convergence of liturgical calendars, Jews and Muslims will enter their holiest periods of the year within a day of each other.

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year that begins a 10-day period of High Holy Days culminating with Yom Kippur, begins at sundown Wednesday.

The Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins Thursday. The two holy periods are rarely so close, because the beginning of Ramadan rotates throughout the year in accordance with the lunar calendar of Islam. Jews follow a modified lunar calendar that adds periodic leap months so festivals fall within several weeks of each other in specific seasons.

If the calendars often separate their observances, there are similarities in practices. Followers of both faiths will engage in periods of fasting, repentance and self-reflection. And these days are an opportunity for both Jewish and Muslim families to grow closer together in faith.

Sins Forgiven During Ramadan - Daily Muslim Wisdom

Abu Huraira related that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven.
Whoever prays during the nights in Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven.

And he who passes Lailat al-Qadr in prayer with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven.

-Hadith reported by Al-Bukhari