month of fasting
War in Ukraine causes high prices at the beginning of Ramadan
Muslims perform the first “Tarawih” evening prayer of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul. Photo: Emrah Gurel/AP/dpa
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Ramadan has started in many countries. After two years of the pandemic, the corona requirements have also fallen in many places. Rising food prices spoil the party mood for many Muslims.
The fasting month of Ramadan has begun for most of the 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide. A large part of the Arab states and also many Islamic associations in Germany proclaimed Saturday as the first day of fasting.
Devout Muslims will abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk for a month. In the evening, people come together with relatives, neighbors or friends to break the fast (iftar) and pray.
Children, pregnant women, the elderly and people who work hard physically are exempt from the fasting requirement. Ramadan traditionally begins the day after the sighting of the crescent moon after the new moon. This may vary slightly from country to country. In Jordan, Ramadan doesn’t start until Sunday.
Full mosques in Saudi Arabia
In the third Ramadan during the corona pandemic, many countries relaxed their requirements this year. In Saudi Arabia, people can now celebrate the month of fasting as normal again. The Gulf state also allows full mosques again. Last year, however, believers were only allowed to pray there for 30 minutes, and the traditional breaking of the fast together and breakfast before dawn (suhur) in mosques were also forbidden. Egypt also relaxed restrictions in the country thanks to falling corona numbers. India abolished all measures. Larger gatherings of people had not been allowed there in recent years.
In countries like Iraq, Egypt and Tunisia, concerns about the pandemic have now been replaced by fears of food shortages. Blame it on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Russia and Ukraine are important suppliers of wheat and sunflower oil for many Arab countries. Bottlenecks are now looming. As a result, prices are already rising in many places. In Lebanon and in the civil war countries Yemen and Syria, many poor people have had to skip meals for a long time anyway.
Commemorating victims of war
The first Ramadan prayers were held in Turkey on Friday evening. Many of the approximately 90,000 mosques in the country are adorned with celebratory messages in neon letters for the holy month, which are stretched between the minarets. Ramadan assortments are available in supermarkets, such as dates and rose water. Turkish guides discuss whether fasting can help you lose weight or not.
Islamic associations in Germany also want to pray for the victims of global conflicts during Ramadan. “In times of war, our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine and elsewhere, where war always brings suffering and destruction,” said the head of the Central Council of Muslims, Aiman Mazyek. “We pray especially for the victims in the holy month of Ramadan and ask God for peace for all people in the world.”