Ramadan is not only about abstinence
Comment
Shamil Jeppie
The pious view of Ramadan is that it is a month in the Islamic calendar of extraordinary religiosity on the part of the vast majority of the world’s Muslims. It is a period of abstinence, deep devotion and increased recitation of the Qur’an. It is a time of identification with the starving poor and a measure of egalitarianism as all fast and the better-off identify with and give more to the less fortunate.
Devout missionaries for an austere Islam like Muslims and the world to see only this side of Ramadan. They explain it as sacred time. Such a view is only half of the story for in many parts of the Muslim world this ”holy month” has another reputation; a period of collective celebration and family entertainment in addition to extra piety, as time sacred and recreational. Fasting and feasting are intertwined over 30 days.
The distinctiveness of Ramadan is the inversions of everyday life for an entire month in most countries where Muslims are the majority.
Fasting is demanding and the wheels of commerce and government slow down. In ”developing countries” where ”productivity” is a marker of progress Ramadan sees even slacker working habits.
In Egypt’s civil service, where in the 1980s it was estimated that each civil servant actually worked for only 28 minutes each day, Ramadan induces even less action. But there has been only one official attempt to discourage fasting in the name of ”development”.
President Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia tried in the early 1970s when he argued that since fasting was not necessary in wartime, and the country was in a ”war against underdevelopment”, fasting should be suspended. This was not popular and his imaginative fatwa went unheeded.
The Tunisians may not only have been robbed of their fasting time, but also of their fun. The fun begins after the sunset breakfast or iftar.
In Egypt it begins with special TV programmes produced for Ramadan.
For the world of television Ramadan is when there is much high interest and heightened excitement about programmes. There is pre-Ramadan speculation about what is going to be offered and about which stars will be lined-up. Directors compete for prime-time slots for their productions. Critics devote many column inches discussing Ramadan productions.
>From iftar almost to the pre-dawn meal, television has special programming with obligatory dour religious programmes well outside prime time.
Devotion to TV is not the only form of Ramadan recreation. Middle-class families who belong to social clubs, a major form of non-political association in Egypt, attend special Ramadan entertainment and karaoke programmes. These nightly events are all usually packed and can run into the early hours of the morning with the option of having the first pre-dawn meal at the club.
Perhaps it is the many late nights in front of the TV or at the club that are responsible for the lower productivity during Ramadan, not the low blood sugar levels or hunger pangs suffered by fasting folk during the day.
In Saudi Arabia, where government television allows no such indulgence and where social clubs, like civil society, are non-existent, the bazaar is where the masses can be found. Locals and the millions of pilgrims who go to spend the month of Ramadan in Mecca and Madina boost the spirit of bazaar trading at night.
Another contrast between the ideal of simplicity and the reality of contemporary life lies in consumption patterns. It is virtually impossible to lose weight during Ramadan; it is more likely that centimetres will be gained on the waistline.
Abstinence during the day translates into indulgence at night when every conceivable halal artery-clogging substance is consumed in huge quantities. In Saudi Arabia it is chocolate, in Egypt a range of sugary delicacies, and everywhere cooking-oil for deep-frying, butter and cream. Luxuries such as all varieties of nuts and dried fruits are also in high demand.
Suppliers are always tempted to increase prices when Ramadan arrives. In Egypt the Minister of Supply makes customary Ramadan interventions to deal with complaints from opposition politicians and criticism of suppliers in the media about the price of raisins and other ”Ramadan” items
It is a tradition to break the fast with dates and water and collectively. This is observed but feasting immediately follows. Tables are filled with high-calorie foods as neighbours circulate their favourite delicacies. In some cities local governments and philanthropists arrange meals for the poor in public squares. Elsewhere, neighbourhoods simply bring out their tables laden with food for all to partake in.
Not to miss out on this month of consumption and generosity big businesses host special functions for their employees and clients. Similarly, embassies arrange Ramadan breakfasts for the Muslim diplomatic corps. Work may slow down by day but at night it is possible to engage in informal diplomacy over extended meals. The nights are long.
All this may strike the pious as against the spirit of fasting. But this festive fasting is an established part of the Ramadan experience. None of the principles of fasting is violated. But there is more to the abstinence, there is also inversion of time and order. Night becomes day, sharing increases but also consumption, Qur’anic recitation wafts through public space while television dramas are passionately followed at night. Sacred time and leisure time are thus brought together.
The widespread call in the Middle East on the United States-led attacks on Afghanistan to halt for the month of Ramadan could in part be because the bombs will be falling on those who are supposed to fast and have some fun.
Dr Shamil Jeppie teaches African and Middle Eastern history at the University of Cape Town