Quote:
Originally Posted by Willravel
I was hanging out with a friend today who's devout Muslim, and I didn't eat in front of him out of guilt. Maybe if I just ate pork?
He was explaining to me that even water is off limits, which to be honest I can't understand. I could go 24 hours without food, but even 7 hours without water and I'd be messed up. I now understand why there are no Muslim marathons during Ramadan.
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we have unwritten laws here in the UAE that there is no public eating or drinking in view of everybody else. any restaurants that open during the day provide for the non muslim population and will have curtains that are drawn.
on the topic of friends - a work colleague of mine in solidarity with his mainly indian crew of carpenters, many of whom happen to be muslim, decided to try and fast today.
he got up for the customery 'suhoor' or breakfast at 4am. i called him at 10am to check up on him and see how he is going. he failed dismally, said he couldnt take it and lasted till 9.30am before he had to have something to eat.
he rekons hes trying again in a few days time...ill keep you posted on how he goes.
charl - being in that part of the world, have you ever tried ramadan or at least been tempted to try it? i know a few expats that have tried everything from 1 day to 15 days with varying success.
colonel - traditionally food is meant to be simple in line with the humble nature of the month as well as in solidarity with those less fortunate.
howver these days things seem to go to excesses and many of the iftars (the breaking of the fast) that people attend tend to have wayyyy too much food. you also have to remember though is that fasting people will cook when they are hungry and will usually cook depending on their appetites, which is usually way too much.
jorge - no offense with the happy ramadan comment. i get it all the time. its not traditional, but its more than acceptable.
there are many sportsmen in the world that train through ramadan. hakeem is only one example. my boxing buddies would switch their nights and days. sleep during the day and train through the nights so that they can prepare for their respective titles.
if memry serves me correctly mahmoud abdul rauf from the denver nuggets also went through ramadan in the NBA.
baraka - i cant even think of putting it better myself - all i can think of is -- what baraka said! well put.
snowy - did she share any of her experiences on fasting with you guys?
katyanna - wow.. its not easy doing what you do. shelish had to deal with a lot of that in public hospitals in sydney too. she learnt a lot about different people and cultures through work and university including the whole kosher kitchen concept which she found fascinating
just another t
hing i remembered this morning - ramadan isnt just about food and water. its also about self clensing of the soul. impure thoughts and actions, foul language, anger, and general bad manners are frowned upon. good thoughts generosity, good manners and general acts of kindness are the order of the day.