Originally Published: June 10, 2018
That means “Blessed Ramadan.”
On the first day of Ramadan, I said this to my students coming in, and one girl said it back, but then laughed because I’m obviously not Muslim. But I think it’s like if someone says Merry Christmas, even if you don’t celebrate, you just graciously accept that someone is wishing you well and asking their god to bless you and return the sentiment.
Ramadan is the holiest of holidays for Muslims. On the sighting of the first crescent moon in the ninth month of the lunar calendar, Ramadan starts. This is the month that the Koran was revealed to the prophet. This is a time to be particularly observant: do good and be good.
Observant Muslims fast all day, no water even, and then when the sun goes down they break their fast with a meal called iftar. Usually, they start with dates. They can eat all through the night, but the second meal is called suhoor which they eat before daybreak, meaning it starts as early as two or three in the morning so that they are finished by sunrise.
They fast to be reminded of those who are hungry. Feeding and clothing the poor is particularly important. They give a great deal to charities (nonprofit friends take note), and they spend a lot of time with family and friends giving and receiving hospitality and gifts.
In practice, this means everything in the city changes.
No one is required to work more than six hours a day. Businesses tend to open later, close during the middle of the day, and open again after iftar. People are not allowed to eat or drink in public, so restaurants all close during the day. If they are open, their windows are all blacked out, or they do delivery only. You cannot buy any alcohol at all. You aren’t allowed to chew gum. No public music and modest dress is more strictly enforced.
There are beautiful decorations of light. Lanterns and crescent moons and stars are everywhere. People are happy and generous and see it as a break from the usual day-to-day life.
People are up all night and if they can, they sleep a good portion of the day.
This leads to things like 10:30 PM doctor’s appointments, and going to the bank, or dealing with your cell phone company only after 8 PM. It leads to horrible driving just at sunset as people are in a rush to get to the iftar. It leads to gym classes, like dance, being silent. Girls who normally wear Western clothes and no hijab, wear an abaya at least.
Although rules about modest dress and alcohol are the law, no one bothers a woman in a tank top, and you can get a permit to buy alcohol as long as you aren’t Muslim. Hotels and some restaurants have permits to serve alcohol. However, permits are suspended for the month of Ramadan, and people will call the police about music being played, and it’s best to make sure to cover your shoulders and knees.
Practically speaking, at school, the hours are shorter, the cafeteria is blacked out, no music is allowed, and the dress code is policed a bit more strictly. You get your coffee to go and put it in a bag to carry to your office, and you have to blackout your office windows to drink it. The students are whiny and say they are fasting, so they shouldn’t have to work or do anything – to which everyone laughs and says – that’s the point of fasting. You are supposed to try to endure, not just reverse your sleeping patterns. Students try to convince the new teachers that they have to leave to go pray – which is not true. They can pray the mid-day prayer within two hours of the call, so lunchtime is perfect.
This year, Ramadan has fallen just at the close of the school year, so we had to have any final parties with food just before May 15th. Graduation was at 8 PM at night, and we had no music on the last day of school.
It’s been fascinating to learn more about Arab and Islamic culture. People are so warm and willing to talk about why and how they do things. I wish that more Americans knew what it was really like in the GCC. When I look at movies and books now, I see how our perceptions are shaped by this foggy notion of the pan-Arab terrorist who hates us. Honestly, in Germany, I felt more hostility and condescension for being American than I have here. The truth of American-Arab relations is so much more complicated than either Left or Right propaganda would have us believe.
As I come to the end of my first year, I am so grateful for this opportunity. Despite the heat and the construction, this is a beautiful place. I do, indeed, feel blessed.