An even better Ramadan without social pressure
As I am working for an English speaking university in Morocco now until the end of this year, I am changing the language of my postings in English. So my new colleagues and friends will be able to follow this blog as well.
One inspiration for today’s blog comes from the current Ramadan, the Islam fasting period. I am experiencing it now the third time in my life, once in Syria, two times in Morocco, where it seems to be held very strictly. So without doubt, there are consequences for those not fasting, e.g. you won’t find a restaurant during the day. Fortunately, on the campus here, they provide lunch - but this seems to me a rare exception. Office hours are shortened and people frankly admit that their daily mood is really challenged, especially towards the end of the day. But in general, in my conversations, Ramadan was not questioned and was seen as a very special, spiritual experience. I just met one Moroccon in my whole life who openly would not do Ramadan - though I saw some at the airport eating and drinking during the day, dressed very conservatively, though…;-)
The other inspiration came from this article (which is in German, I am sorry): http://de.qantara.de/wcsite.php?wc_c=16853&wc_id=17115, written by Emel Zeynelabidin. In brief it says that she agrees with the idea of Ramadan itself in terms of spiritual experience, training self-discipline, enjoying the company of the family even more etc. However, the author finds that this original idea seems to have been lost by a lot of individuals, that they merely fast because of social pressure and end up, e.g. eating all night.
Zeynelabidin suggests that an honest-minded public and private discussion should start on Ramadan. This would allow non-Muslims to understand better what this is all about - and it might also Muslims allow to decide on their own if they are wiling to fast or not, or just shorter or at a more convenient time of the year etc. She puts an accent on the fact that life conditions for modern Muslims make it really hard for them to pursue their normal professional life plus fulfill the expectations of their social/religious peer group.
As I am a strong believer that the best results come out of voluntary actions anyway, I definitely agree with her. Plus I would suggest the Catholic church also starts a discussion on rituals like “Kommunion” and “Firmung” - the two social events where children and teenagers confirm their commitment to the church. In my experience it more and more develops towards a big “how-to-get-as-much-presents-as-possible-occasion-and-who-looks-most-fashionable-in-church” and definitely looses the original spirit. Rituals obviously need some check-up once in a while.
