-Caveat Lector- from: http://www.economist.com/48KQZbai/editorial/freeforall/current/index_ir6917.ht ml <A HREF="http://www.economist.com/48KQZbai/editorial/freeforall/current/index_ ir6917.html">The Economist</A> ----- INTERNATIONAL Fasting and feasting B E I R U T ASK a Muslim Arab for his favourite time of year and the odds are he will say Ramadan. For, although the Koran’s injunction to let nothing—neither food, water nor smoke—pass the lips in daylight hours is taken seriously by most, so too is the celebration that accompanies the breaking of the fast at dusk. What with Christmas and the new year falling during the current month of Ramadan, and the short winter days making the fasting less onerous than sometimes, the people of the Middle East are now enjoying a convergence of festivities they have not seen in 30 years. Throughout the region, Arab bureaucrats’ notoriously short working days shrink yet further, as hordes of office-workers hurtle home at sunset for the iftar, the first of two special Ramadan meals. Traffic snarls up, and the queues at kebab take-aways and Pizza Hut outlets suddenly double. By the time the traditional cannons signal that it is safe to eat, the streets are deserted and people are tucking into a lavish meal—often in mock-Oriental tents. Despite the fast, grocery sales tend to go up during Ramadan, thanks to the evening feasts. Many Muslims admit to gaining weight during the month; in the Gulf, doctors issue warnings against obesity. Electricity consumption also rises, as the sated masses settle in front of Ramadan specials on television, or flood out to the streets to shop, eats snacks and promenade. The conservative emirates of the Gulf enforce the fast the most stringently. Most have laws prohibiting people eating, drinking or smoking in public during the day. Foreigners caught breaking the rules find themselves slapped with fines or even prison sentences. Kuwaiti members of parliament have called for temporary bans on supposedly irreligious forms of entertainment, such as belly-dancing. They have even mooted a moratorium on female attendants on the national airline. And clerics, like their Christian counterparts at Christmas, routinely rail against the commercialisation of a season originally intended as a time of self-denial. In most of the Levant and North Africa, there is no penalty save embarrassment for breaking the fast. So some savvy café-owners paper over their windows to let the less devout enjoy a cup of coffee or a sandwich away from disapproving eyes. In Beirut, the Arab world’s most liberal city, people sit sipping beer in street cafés in the Muslim half of town as the observant stride past, eyes averted. In Cairo, Christmas lights merge with Ramadan lanterns, but Beirut, with its large Christian population, takes this ecumenical spirit to extremes. One Muslim talks about sitting down on December 24th to a “Christmas iftar”; others gather for family snapshots in front of a Christmas tree during their evening Ramadan strolls. Even in Beirut, however, some barriers still remain: on the line between the Christian and Muslim halves of the city, the seasonal lights change from cherubs and Christmas trees to stars and candles. ©1999. The Economist Newspaper Limited. All Rights Reserved ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, Omnia Bona Bonis, All My Relations. Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End Kris DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
