Ramadan Diary ~2015 ~ Day Thirty

Ibn Warraq's final reflections on Ramadan...

Ramadan 2015 in Morocco will be remembered for being hot - very hot! There was happiness and controversy, religious reflection and mediocre television. It was also a Ramadan that saw an increase in commercialisation, with luxury f'tour packages at resorts and hotels. It was hard not to think of times that the holy month was becoming a product to be exploited. Yet, amidst it all of there were the wonderful moments of sharing a simple  f'tour with good friends.

A simple f'tour is the best f'tour

On the other side of Ramadan there was a profound sadness at the sectarian violence and death in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia and Nigeria. Displaced people continued to risk their lives heading to Europe. It was not a happy Ramadan for hundreds of thousands.

It was a sobering exercise to contemplate the images from those areas of conflict and to pray that the suffering ends soon.

A last minute blessing - an hour before the official end of Ramadan a huge electrical storm hit Fez and the rain bucketed down, washing everything clean and cooling the temperature down almost six degrees.

The Fez Medina glowing golden at the end of Ramadan

The sunset turned the Fez Medina to gold. Then, the cannon. Not one, but three shots. It was indeed a great end to Ramadan.

Fez at the moment of the cannon firing for the end of Ramadan 2015

My good friend Fatima Matousse has also been reflecting on Ramadan and...

The Sad Side of El Eid

Everything has a beginning and an end and Ramadan likewise. Morocco is the only country where Ramadan does not end in the same way as our neighbours in North Africa and the Middle East because Morocco has its own standards for declaring the climax of Ramadan. Since the country made the rules so strict, the beautiful moon refuses to shine in the throne of the dark sky. So, Moroccans have to fast for another day, making their fast total 30 days.

Some people are frustrated that we are not celebrating El Eid along with the other countries. Others state their satisfaction that the last day is a Friday, a holy day, and people are happy to delve into spirituality as they end this year’s Ramadan chapter.

My frustration does not really have to do with whether we are breaking the fast with the rest of the countries or not. My concern lies in how every human being in this country spends their end of Ramadan celebration.

El Eid is like a wedding ceremony for one category of people and a funeral for others. The wedding part of it involves food preparation, shopping, and lots of "getting-beautiful" tasks, especially for women.

At night, prior to El Eid, life gets busier inside and outside homes as some parents catch up on last minute shopping, if they still haven't bought new clothes for their kids and themselves. Normally everyone has to wear new beautiful clothes, eat the best cookies ever for breakfast and prepare a fancy lunch, especially if family members are invited.

The funeral side of it has to do with poor families, homeless children, single mothers, lonely people and the list goes on. Not everyone is happy during El Eid. Poor families struggle to buy new clothes for their kids. The homeless are still sleeping on floors under plastic or cardboard beds covering with plastic bags or torn dirty fabrics. For them, El Eid is not a climax. It means nothing to them. It is just another miserable day in their lives.

I see El Eid also as a moment exposing the gaps between social classes and hierarchies. The poor people feel their vulnerable position in the society. For such people, it is a moment of a deeper sadness and vulnerability, more than a prosperous one.

You might think, I am so pessimistic and you might throw various arguments about almsgiving and organisation attempting to help these groups standing in the periphery of our society. I would agree with you, but I am speaking about the remaining ones, the mentally ill, the little children in the shelters, the elderly with Alzheimers, the sick people in hospitals and so on. El Eid is not always a happy moment for everyone, nor is Ramadan, nor is any other so-called "happy" event in life.

I wish that El Eid brings happiness to the hearts of us all, with no exclusion. I wish that people stop being aggressive during Ramadan. I wish not to to witness another incident of a woman harassed because of her clothes, or a gay being beaten and not even a thief aggressively physically assaulted. I wish that people stop turning into priests all of a sudden and throwing judgments in your face. I wish not to see more homeless people in the streets.

I wish every human being’s daily mission be to make others happy, secure and equal. I wish...I wish...I wish...my wish list does not have an end.  You can share your wishes with us too if you wish...and Happy Eid to Everyone!

At last! The final of Hamid's moderately funny jokes...

It was Eid and when Hamza came home from spending hours in his favourite café, he found his five children outside, still in their pyjamas, playing in the dirt, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn around garden.

The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and no sign of the cat.

Walking in the door, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over; the throw rug was against one wall; in the front room the TV was on loudly with the cartoon channel; and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, cat food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

Hamza quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.

He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor.

Metres of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

He rushed to the bedroom, and found his wife, Karima, still curled up in the bed in her pyjamas, reading a novel.

She looked up at him, smiled. 'Eid mubarak! How was your day?'

But Hamza was too stunned to answer. He looked at Karima, bewildered and asked, 'What happened here today?'

Karima smiled, 'You know every day when you come home you ask me what in the world do I do all day?'

'Yes,' was Hamza's incredulous reply.

Karima smiled yet again.  'Well, today I didn't do it.'

Saha F'tourkoum!

See Ibn's Ramadan Dairy
DAY ONE        DAY FIVE       DAY NINE          DAY THIRTEEN   DAY SEVENTEEN 
DAY TWO       DAY SIX           DAY TEN            DAY FOURTEEN  DAY EIGHTEEN
DAY THREE   DAY SEVEN    DAY ELEVEN    DAY FIFTEEN      DAY NINETEEN
DAY FOUR     DAY EIGHT     DAY TWELVE    DAY SIXTEEN      DAY TWENTY

DAY TWENTY-ONE   DAY TWENTY-TWO   DAY TWENTY-THREE  DAY TWENTY-FOUR
DAY TWENTY-FIVE  DAY TWENTY-SIX   DAY TWENTY-SEVEN  DAY TWENTY-EIGHT
DAY TWENTY-NINE

Thanks to those who contributed Ramadan stories, thoughts, observations and photographs. Thanks to Hamid for his jokes.  Now, I am off to take a break, inshallah. You can contact me via The View from Fez contact page. Just put "Ibn's Diary" in the subject line - Shukran wa Eid Mubarak!

SHARE THIS!

Ramadan Diary ~ 2015 ~ Day Twenty-Nine

Ibn Warraq's penultimate Ramadan musing...

The dominant theme of conversations around Morocco today is the moon. Does Ramadan end tonight or tomorrow night? Is Eid on Friday or Saturday?  In second place in the conversation stakes is "where are all the oranges?" Moroccan orange juice is in such demand at the moment that only geriatric oranges are available in the souqs.

But back to Eid. Most people I talked to today were praying that it was on Saturday not Friday. Why? "Because there is still so much to do." "I have to go to the hammam with the children." "I  have a booking for henna".  And so it goes. And all the time people are checking to see if the authorities have had a sighting of the moon.

The other thing is the weather. Around 6.30 pm a storm hit Fez with some welcome rain and a dramatic drop of temperature. Sadly, it was an erratic event with sudden gusts of high winds and the rain was not distributed across the entire Medina. But, el humdullilah, I stood for a moment, face upturned, (careful not to drink any), as the rain tumbled down. My biggest problem with the rain? How is anyone going to see the moon?

UPDATE:Saturday will be the first day of Eid El Fitr, the Moroccan Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs announced on Thursday evening.

Then it was back to answering emails about the moon,

Moon sighting in Saudi Arabia

Eid El Fitr in Saudi Arabia will be celebrated Friday July 17, Al Arabiya TV channel said on Thursday evening. “A new moon has been sighted in Saudi Arabia, heralding the start of Eid Al-Fitr holiday,” Al Arabiya network said citing local reports.

The UAE, Kuwait also announced that Eid El Fitr will be celebrated on Friday, while Iraq and Bangladesh announced that the holiday will be observed on Saturday. A meeting France at the grand mosque of Paris, has announced that the 1 st day of Shawwal will correspond to 17 July. Muslims in France have the last day of Ramadan today and celebrate Eid Al Fitr tomorrow.

Moroccan authorities have still not announced whether Eid El Fitr will be celebrated on Friday or Saturday. However Morocco’s Prime Minister, Abdelilah Benkirane, said on Thursday that the last day of Ramadan in Morocco is Friday and the first day of Eid El Fitr is Saturday.

“Eid El Fir will most likely on Saturday,” Benkirane said. His announcement comes several hours before the Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs will announce when Ramadan ends.

Morocco bases its decisions to observe Ramadan and other Islamic holidays on the sighting of the moon, which marks the beginning of the month in Islamic calendar.

This year Morocco started Ramadan on June 18, on the same day when most other Muslims countries started the month-long fasting holiday. But it is likely that Morocco will fast one more day than other Muslim countries.

This year, the first day of Ramadan was observed on 17 or 18 June in different parts of the world. In India, the first fast was observed on 19 June 2015. Assuming the new moon is sighted after 30 days, Muslims in India will celebrate Eid ul-Fitr on 19 July, 2015. However, as it has happened in the past, the moon is sighted after Muslims observe the 29th fast. In that case, Eid ul-Fitr will be celebrated on 18 July.

Jama Masjid (Grand Mosque) in the old quarters of Delhi

In countries like Saudi Arabia, it is common that Eid El-Fitr falls a day before in India. The holy month of Ramadan is also announced early in the Middle East. Below is the list of different countries that will celebrate Eid ul-Fitr on different dates. The dates listed below are based on the astronomical calculations and on completion of 30 days of Ramadan.

Eid ul-Fitr 2015 in Saudi Arabia: Friday, 17 July
Eid ul-Fitr 2015 UAE: Friday, 17 July
Eid ul-Fitr 2015 in Dubai: Saturday, 17 July
Eid ul-Fitr 2015 in the U.S.: Saturday, 18 July
Eid ul-Fitr 2015 in United Kingdom: Saturday, 18 July
Eid ul-Fitr 2015 in Pakistan: Saturday, 18 July
Eid ul-Fitr 2015 in Morocco: Saturday, 18 July
Eid ul-Fitr 2015 in Australia: Saturday, 18 July
Eid ul-Fitr 2015 in Qatar: Saturday, 18 July
Eid ul-Fitr 2015 in India: Sunday, 19 July

A section of Islamic scholars believe that seeing the moon with the naked eye should be the criterion for declaring the end of Ramadan. A smaller section advocates that we can rely solely on the calculations, and there is no need to visually see the moon.

It is possible to use calculations and modern simulations for knowing where and when to look for the moon, how high it will be in the sky, and what are the chances of its visibility. It is now possible to calculate the exact window of the moon’s visibility after sunset and even generate simulated images of the moon beforehand.

In some countries official and unofficial moon sighting committees ask people to testify if they have seen the moon. This is where these simulated images can be use: anyone who claims to have seen the moon can be asked questions like what time they saw it, how high it was, whether it was near or close to the sun, whether the cusps were upward or sideways, whether it was on the left side or right side of the moon.

No matter what method you use, there will be a lot of people looking in the sky tonight and, maybe tomorrow..

But Eid or not on Friday, you can forget paying any bills or doing any official business on Friday. A press release of the Ministry of Public Service has announced that Friday, July 17, has been pronounced an "exceptional" holiday in "the administrations and public institutions and local authorities", regardless of the day of Eid.

And another reminder that daylight saving returns to Morocco this coming Sunday (July 19th) at two in the morning clocks are turned forward 1 hour.

Zakat and Sadaqat al-Fitr

The significant role played by Zakat in the circulation of wealth within the Islamic society is also played by the Sadaqat al-Fitr. However, in the case of Sadaqat al-Fitr, each individual is required to calculate how much charity is due from himself and his dependents and go into the community in order to find those who deserve such charity.

Sadaqat al-Fitr plays a very important role in the development of the bonds of community. The rich are obliged to come in direct contact with the poor, and the poor are put in contact with the extremely poor. This contact between the various levels of society helps to build real bonds of brotherhood and love within the Islamic community and trains those who have, to be generous to those who do not have.

Zakat Fitr (alms of the fast breaking) is mandatory for "anyone who has food for a day and a night" and "has a surplus of food." It must be paid on behalf of any dependents. For example, a family man with three children will pay Zakat for himself, his wife and three children. This offering may be paid in cash, or food.

The amount to be paid is set by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The highest amount set is in Rabat at 17.5 dirhams, while it is only 10 dirhams in Casablanca. In Salé, 15 dirhams, Errachidia the amount varies between 13 and 15 dirhams.

In the Marrakech region, the amount of Zakat varies between 12 and 15 dirhams, while it is 13 dirhams in Tangier, Tetouan and Fez. It has been set at 10 dirhams in Meknes, Oujda, Settat, Kenitra, Safi, El Jadida and Essaouira, 9 dirhams in Khouribga and 8 dirhams in Zagora and Ouarzazate. For full details go the Ministry Website

200 to 300 million dirhams will be collected this year for Zakat Fitr in Morocco. Zakat must be paid before the Eid prayer and up to 48 hours before that prayer.

If you prefer to pay in kind the amount is the amount in kind the amount of Zakat in kind, it is around 2.5 kilos of wheat.

End of Ramadan TV is a blessing

Like ghosts of Ramadans past, Moroccan television lived up to everyone's expectations - it was woeful. The complaints have, however,  have not had the effect of causing the general population to switching off.

But the critics are vocal. Fatima Ezzahra Metkal, writing for the prestigious Morocco World News, says that one Ramadan TV comedy was "an insult to mothers". Here is an extract of what she had to say.

What captures our attention in “Marhba b S’habi” (Welcome my friends), broadcast on the Moroccan TV channel “Al Aoula,” is the language used between the characters of the story, especially between members of a nuclear family. The figures of speech used by a boy to address his friend include: “the son of a bitch (female of dog), “the son of a greedy” (someone who likes food very much), and he compares his beloved mother to a Doberman. When his father addresses him, he uses: “the son of Haram,” (son of an unmarried and illegitimate couple).

Is this what makes people laugh? Or are our Moroccan comedians running out of words to use? Where is the noble message that comedians should transmit to our children? Can’t we join the purposeful to the humorous?

Moroccan comedians are using shocking, provoking and offending language to describe the most precious person; our mothers. Making fun of parents, particularly the mother figure, is what Moroccan comedians chose as a way of entertaining fasters.

Insulting language was the reward generous women received this holy month. This is not teaching children how to talk to their parents and is socially destructive.

There is a lack of balance between what is educational and what is entertaining. The content of what is watched and the quality of words matter to Moroccans. For this reason, the content and quality of words should be checked and re-checked.

Actors are examples that children follow. It goes without saying that TV influences the development of our children’s language. Moroccan comedians should offer their viewers, and above all, young children, a quality that aims at stimulating their cognitive development while entertaining them at the same time. It is neither in Islam nor in Moroccan culture to speak to parents or to children in an offensive way.

See the full article here: Morocco World News

Another of Hamid's moderately funny jokes...

One day, Mousaniss rodes into Marrakech, a city where the people love to play jokes on visitors.

After tying his camel to the pole outside a take-away shack, Mouaniss went in and asked for a cup of milk.

After drinking, he went out, only to find his camel missing.

Knowing that the people of Marrakech did it, he went back into the shack and said to everybody,"

I am going to have another drink and when I finish it, I want to see my camel outside! Or else, I will have to do what I did in Fez -  I WILL DO IT HERE!"

The people were very frightened.

When he finished his second drink, he went outside and saw his camel which the locals had hastily returned.

Curious, the man behind the counter asked, Mouaniss: "What did you actually do in Fez?"

Mouaniss smiled gently and replied,"Well, I had to walk home."

Saha F'tourkoum!

See Ibn's Ramadan Dairy
DAY ONE        DAY FIVE       DAY NINE          DAY THIRTEEN   DAY SEVENTEEN 
DAY TWO       DAY SIX           DAY TEN            DAY FOURTEEN  DAY EIGHTEEN
DAY THREE   DAY SEVEN    DAY ELEVEN    DAY FIFTEEN      DAY NINETEEN
DAY FOUR     DAY EIGHT     DAY TWELVE    DAY SIXTEEN      DAY TWENTY

DAY TWENTY-ONE   DAY TWENTY-TWO   DAY TWENTY-THREE  DAY TWENTY-FOUR
DAY TWENTY-FIVE  DAY TWENTY-SIX   DAY TWENTY-SEVEN  DAY TWENTY-EIGHT

Please feel free to contribute your Ramadan stories, thoughts, observations and photographs. You can contact me via The View from Fez contact page. Just put "Ibn's Diary" in the subject line - Shukran!

SHARE THIS!

Ramadan Diary ~ 2015 ~ Day Twenty-Eight

Ibn Warraq's Ramadan musings...

Spare a thought for those who, as I write, are slaving over stoves or charcoal burners, preparing the food that everyone is hanging out for. Too often we focus on our own hunger, exhaustion and tiredness, but without the hard work, the food would not simply appear. And, as any good Ftour cook will tell you,  cooking is only part of it - presentation is important.

A mother preparing Ftour in Australia

Presentation is just as important as the food

Little by little, Ftour in Pakistan

Fancy a litte Ramadan Hip Hop?

Yes, strange at as it may seem, there is a Hip Hop-World Music Concert with French Artist FLEM, Med Demens, & the ALC-ALIF Music Club, at 9:30 PM at the ALIF Riad, 6 Derb Drissi, Batha.

The concert is free and open to everyone. Here are some of FLEM's music videos: www.youtube.com/user/FlemArtManagement   www.facebook.com/flemart

Meet a mesaharati

At the beginning of Ramadan I mentioned the ancient tradition of the Dkak, the man who walks the Medina streets after one in the morning, banging his drum and singing, in order to wake people up for Suhoor - the last meal before dawn.

In Eygpt they have a similar tradition in some older more traditional neighbourhoods of Cairo. The man who performs the important duty is known in Egypt as a mesaharati, - a "dawn caller."

Unlike Yassine Boudouàià, the Dkak in Fez, the Forty-five year old Essam Sayed sets out after midnight on a donkey. But, apart from his mode of transport, his role is virtually the same as that in Morocco. He bangs a small drum, chants traditional religious phrases and calls out to residents to wake them in time for the pre-dawn meal.

The job was passed down by his father and Essam Sayed still uses his father's 50-year-old drum. As in Fez, the residents give him small donations in thanks for his service.

That mouse incident

More details have emerged about the "mouse incident" during Laylat al-Qadr. According to reports a mouse causes panic in the Hassan II mosque with eighty-one people injured in the ensuing stampede.

The little mouse had slipped into the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca at a time when mosque was particularly full as it was Laylat al-Qadr, the most sacred night of the fasting month of Ramadan. According to a statement released yesterday by mosque authorities, a woman, "frightened by the appearance of a mouse" suffered a panic attack. The panic spread with some women screaming while running. The effect was to increase the panic and to generate a major stampede in the mosque.

"Some eighty-one people, mostly women, have sustained minor injuries and fractures while some fainted", said a statement of the Wilaya of Casablanca.

There were five cases of fractures and four cases of shoulder injuries, in addition to other general injuries. The victims included a pregnant woman who suffered a double fracture to her lower leg and is still under medical supervision. Seventy-three people were able to leave the hospital.

There are no reports of the mouse being injured, or indeed sighted again. There is also no truth to the rumour that the mouse was a Shia!

And now it is all about Eid

Several of our readers have written to ask what is different about Eid. The answer is a lot!

Firstly Eid Al Fitr "festival of breaking the fast" is the celebration which marks the end of Ramadan and is traditionally the time to show kindness to others and love for Allah.

“Greet people by saying “Eid Mubarak”. This translates into “Happy Eid”. Join the celebrations by using the hashtag #EidMubarak”

Eid Al Fitr is predicted to begin on Friday July 17. The moon-sighting committee in Morocco will confirm the end of Ramadan and it is that announcement that automatically signals the start of Eid Al Fitr.

Technically Eid lasts for just one day, but be prepared for anything from a couple of days to a week before things get back to normal.

It is customary for a Muslim to wake before sunrise and clean themselves and dress in smart clothes before going to offer the Fajr prayers. Muslims donate to charity to help the poor and needy before the Eid prayers. This “Zakat” amount is based on one’s personal possessions.

Traditionally Muslims are required to walk to Eid prayers and forgive and forget any arguments that they may have had over the previous year.

And the really good news? Fasting is forbidden during Eid.  Many Moroccans will have a light breakfast, or simply some dates, after which they attend special prayers -  "Salaat".

Another of Hamid's moderately funny jokes...

It was almost Eid and Karim's work supervisor made a pointed commented about his shaggy mane of hair.

He went on to extol the virtues of a good haircut, which, he insisted, makes an elderly man look younger and a younger man seem more mature.

"How would a haircut make a middle-aged man like me appear?" Karim asked.

"Still employed," was the answer.

Saha F'tourkoum!

See Ibn's Ramadan Dairy
DAY ONE        DAY FIVE       DAY NINE          DAY THIRTEEN   DAY SEVENTEEN 
DAY TWO       DAY SIX           DAY TEN            DAY FOURTEEN  DAY EIGHTEEN
DAY THREE   DAY SEVEN    DAY ELEVEN    DAY FIFTEEN      DAY NINETEEN
DAY FOUR     DAY EIGHT     DAY TWELVE    DAY SIXTEEN      DAY TWENTY

DAY TWENTY-ONE   DAY TWENTY-TWO   DAY TWENTY-THREE  DAY TWENTY-FOUR
DAY TWENTY-FIVE  DAY TWENTY-SIX   DAY TWENTY-SEVEN

Please feel free to contribute your Ramadan stories, thoughts, observations and photographs. You can contact me via The View from Fez contact page. Just put "Ibn's Diary" in the subject line - Shukran!

SHARE THIS!

Ramadan Diary ~ 2015 ~ Day Twenty-Seven

Ibn Warraq resumes his Ramadan musings after a 24 hour computer outage!

Your computer is fasting, someone suggested. Or maybe you got so vague during Ramadan, you forgot to pay your bill? Whatever the reason, the Diary is now up and running again. Thank you for the emails and messages of concern, which only arrived once we had internet again. Shukran!

While the computer outage slowed things down, nevertheless we managed to get out into the streets of Fez where the boys were watching the girls and the girls were eyeing off each others outfits. Henna, tiarras and even some junior stilettos.

Day Twenty-seven was a day for the children. Dressing up to the max

Laylat al-Qadr and Laylat Sabawachrine, are two of the biggest nights and days of Ramadan. And, talking of big...

The Mega f'tour

Last  night 12,000 people took part in a collective Iftar meal tonight in Casablanca on the occasion of Laylat al Qadr, the Night of Destiny. The event was catered by Rahal, a well known organiser of large parties. This was his biggest ever and was at the behest of King Mohammed VI.

Taking place near the Hassan II Mosque, it was a superb gift for the lucky ones amongst the tens of thousands of worshipers preparing for the at Taraweeh prayers performed after the Isha prayer during Ramadan.

At the same time the royal palace in Casablanca welcomed around 1,000 officials for another collective Iftar.

Part of the vast crowd of worshipers in Casablanca

There was an odd moment during the prayers following f'tour. An explosion of noise inside the mosque caused panic among the faithful, raising fears of a terrorist attack. Some people were injured and taken to hospital by the emergency services.

According to witnesses, all the excitement was due to the appearance of a mouse in the enclosure reserved for women. The sound heard outside the mosque is thought to have been caused by a loudspeaker falling over during the stampede.

For the record, while feeding 12,000 is a memorable feat, imagine doing that every night of Ramadan. That is what takes place in Iran's shrine city of Mashhad every year. It is described by Iranian TV as "world's largest Iftar".. Over the thirty days of Ramadan, some 360 thousand people are served food to break their fast. The tablecloths stretch over nine kilometres.

 Mega Iftar in Mashhad in Iran

Mine is bigger than yours is a factor here. Imagine the upset faces in Saudi Arabia when they discover that their to have entered the Guinness Book of Records with the "world's largest iftar" doesn't even come close. However, they must have friends in high places because  despite serving Iftar to only 4,000 people, their Arabic language daily Sabq is claiming victory.

"Experts from Guinness attended the event and documented the banquet as the world's largest," the Arabic language daily Sabq said.

The 1508-metre-long meal table may well be a record, but the number of participants lags way behind the other contenders. The shindig was organised in the Western Red Sea port of Jeddah by Prince Mashal bin Majid bin Abdul Aziz, a member of the royal family and Emir (prince) of Jeddah province.

Hopefully, they will not be too embarrassed by the fact that Morocco and Iran dwarf their efforts (except in length).

The 27th - A Day for the kids

Dressing up was the order of the day and, despite the heat the clutch puses were being clutched , the high heels were wobbly but most of the tiara's stayed in place. And yes, there were some boys and even babies.

Another of Hamid's moderately funny jokes...

Hicham junior came up to his father one day: "Dad, where did I come from?".

Hicham Senior was shocked that a 10 year old would be asking a question like that.

He was hoping to wait a few more years before he would have to explain the facts of life, but he figured it was better a few years early than a few days too late, so, for the next two hours he explained everything to his son.

When he was finished, he asked his son what prompted his question to which his son replied, "I was talking to the new boy across the street and he said he came from Casablanca, so I was just wondering where I came from."

Saha F'tourkoum!

See Ibn's Ramadan Dairy
DAY ONE        DAY FIVE       DAY NINE          DAY THIRTEEN   DAY SEVENTEEN 
DAY TWO       DAY SIX           DAY TEN            DAY FOURTEEN  DAY EIGHTEEN
DAY THREE   DAY SEVEN    DAY ELEVEN    DAY FIFTEEN      DAY NINETEEN
DAY FOUR     DAY EIGHT     DAY TWELVE    DAY SIXTEEN      DAY TWENTY

DAY TWENTY-ONE   DAY TWENTY-TWO   DAY TWENTY-THREE  DAY TWENTY-FOUR
DAY TWENTY-FIVE  DAY TWENTY-SIX

Please feel free to contribute your Ramadan stories, thoughts, observations and photographs. You can contact me via The View from Fez contact page. Just put "Ibn's Diary" in the subject line - Shukran!

SHARE THIS!

Ramadan Diary ~ 2015 ~ Day Twenty-Six

Ibn Warraq continues his Ramadan Musings...

The heat continues. Forty-one degrees and the week ahead looks to be nothing different. Despite the weather, shopping for Eid is getting manic. So are the prices. A friend went to buy a djellaba exactly like the one she already owns. She found it but discovered that, due to demand, the price had doubled. And, money is an issue. At my local hanout, the shop owner showed me a fat notebook. "All on credit," he sighed. "It will be months before I get paid and I might have to put off going down South to my family."

And around the f'tour tables across the Medina, money is also one of the issues being argued over.

"I need more money for the children's clothes"
'The girls have got new dresses but now our boy wants new shoes."
"There is no money for a sheep."
"Well, you can buy clothes or go for a week's holiday after Eid."

... and so it goes.

As one friend said. "If people went on like this about money all year, there would be no married couples left!"  Happily, the effects of excessive heat and fasting will pass, inshallah.

For no known reason, I have been getting dietary advice for fasting from all sorts of people with differing views. While I appreciate the concern for my health, I must point out I am not overweight! Yes, at the moment I feel I could eat a sheep, but that feeling will vanish after f'tour.

An article by an American dietician and nutritionist, Nour Zibdeh, advises many fasting patients (and observes Ramadan herself). She recommends suhoor dishes with protein, healthy fats, and fibre — as well as smoothies, fruits and water. You want to be satiated and hydrated. But, as Zibdeh notes, even the best suhoor has its limitations.

"There's no meal that will hold anyone for 16 hours. That's just basic physiology," Zibdeh explains. "After 6-8 hours, the body uses up all the glucose it obtained from a meal, and then it starts to go into its glycogen."

And after your body burns through these stores of sugar in the liver and muscles, it keeps on going.

"After 10 hours, the body even runs out from this energy reservoir, and it has to tap into the fat stores."

My stores of fat (that which hadn't melted in the heat) have been well and truly tapped into, thank you.

The "daughters of Inezgane" exonerated!

Great news today. The Court of First Instance in Inezgane has completely exonerating Sanaa and Siham, the two young women arrested for wearing dresses. The reaction around the country was one of relief. At last, people were saying, some common sense. Others pointed out that the case, which has had worldwide attention, should never have happened in the first place.

The highly anticipated trial of the  "Inezgane Two" was held on July 6 and the verdict delivered on 13 July.  The two young women. Sanaa and Siham, had been arrested in June after being harassed in the souk of Inezgane by a crowd harrassing them over what they saw as their inappropriate attire.

The case of Inezgane Two became the symbol of the defence of individual liberties. Many support sit-ins were organised in the country and a strong mobilization on social networks around a hashtag: #mettre_une_robe_nest_pas_un_crime. It became a national talking point throughout Ramadan.

Defence Attorney Houcine Bekkar Sbai was jubilant. “This is a victory not only for these two women but for all members of civil society who mobilised in their support.”

Fouzia Assouli, head of the LDDF women’s rights organisation, was also upbeat. “This acquittal is positive and shows that wearing this type of clothing (a dress) is not a crime,” Assouli she said.

The prosecutor, realising he did not have a case, called for dismissal on procedural grounds, but the magistrate's decision confirms that a person's clothing can not be the cause of a conviction.

D.A. Houcine Bekkar Sbai made the point that this was not the end of the affair. "The next step is to prosecute those who harassed and attacked Sanaa and Siham. We have already laid a complaint."


Hindi Zahra, Khansa Batma, Don Bigg and H-Kayne headline Timitar

With Ramadan almost over, people are looking beyond to upcoming events. Top of the list is the Agadir Timitar Festival 2015 . For those not heading to the beach it is an opportunity for festival goers to enjoy a unique experience in this beautiful Souss region of Southern Morocco.

The 12th edition of the festival will be held held in Agadir from 22 to 25 July. The festival has a track record of pulling huge crowds to its program of world music, with more than 120,000 spectators in 2014 and an increasing interest on the part of artists from all backgrounds. However, most importantly, Timitar pays tribute the Amazigh culture.

Hindi Zahra

The headliner of this 12 th edition is the Moroccan singer Hindi Zahra who gave a knockout performance at the Essaouira festival in May. Other performers will include Khansa Batma,  two major figures of Moroccan rap, Don Bigg and H-Kayne and the rock band Mazagan.

The Chaabi fans will be pleased with the inclusion of Algerian rai star, Reda Taliani.

The festival, which has three stages, is above all a place for Amazigh artists. Among them Aït Laati, Inerzaf Bizenkad, actor and singer Brahim Asli and the poets of Imdyazen.

How the other half live

Ramadan in the summer is not always easy. Set aside the heat and you are still faced with decisions about where to have f''tour.  Friends and family all issue invitations and there is pressure on to repay the hospitality.

There is an alternative to which you can invite everyone.  Increasingly a lot of Moroccans are tempted by "Ramadan Parties", outside their own four walls and the family cocoon.

Eating out means no worry about cooking or cleaning up and how tempting is the notion of a shaded terrace overlooking the sea while savouring dishes that are a change from the traditional offerings.

According to the PR handouts, on offer now is f'tour with a "dose of originality and a new atmosphere". The change isn't dramatic yet, but is certainly having an impact with f'tour offers in hotels, restaurants and cafés multiplying, especially in large cities. Young couples from the upper middle class now meet friends or family for a f'tour outside - Le f'tour sur l'herbe.

"Habits have changed. Companies and individuals have new ways of breaking the fast, especially after the first week of Ramadan," says Habiba Benjelloun, business manager at the Kasai Japanese restaurant, located at Anfa Place Mall in Casa. Open since last September, it offers a buffet f'tour at 39o Dirhams per person. The menu has been concocted by chef Rob Shipman and combines Asian flavours - shrimp bisque, spring rolls, chicken yakitori, tempura kakiage or salmon tataki ) and Moroccan traditional fare  (harira, chebbakia, briouates, batbout chicken and zaalouk).

As usual, cafés have their own offers. The Paul chain, has "Ftours Ramadan" in Casablanca and Rabat for 280 Dirham per person. Scala in Casablanca has an Iftar buffet at 310 Dirham per person., Or Rabat Grand Comptoir with f'tour for 220 Dirham. If you want a nautical flavour then the dhow-style boat moored in the cornice of the Bouregreg offers f'tour for 140 Dirhams

If you have the money and are in Marrakech The Pearl Marrakech is offering a "Spa & F'tour" formula for 850 Dirham per person which includes a gym access, jacuzzi, pool, steam room, and a scrub of 45 minutes followed by a 30 minutes massage, all before or after ftour.

And, if you are in a hurry, La Table du Marché sells f'tour box takeaway in the shops at Marrakech and Casablanca airports.

And in Fez? Well, there are plenty of places offering special f'tour deals.

Another trend is to spend a weekend away from home, changing the routine of Ramadan, without having to look after the f'tour or children,  in a pleasant setting with pool and spa. Will it catch on? Lahcen Zelmat, from the  Palm Plaza in Marrakech thinks so. "Over time, Moroccans will change their habits as they have already done for Eid Al Adha and celebrate more and more away from home" he says.

So there is plenty of choice. Personally, I would rather have f'tour with friends and help wash the dishes.

Staying cool in the High Atlas

It's an old photograph from a collection by Philippe Lafond from back in the 1980s - but, on a hot day in Fez it was cooling just to look at.


Another of Hamid's moderately funny jokes...

Hassan el-Habib was a very famous and learned Islamic scholar who received invitations to speak across the country. His mosque provided him with a limousine and a chauffeur.

Hassan el-Habib and his chauffeur, Faisal, visited various cities on his lecture circuit and the young Faisal, always sat at the back of the lecture halls and listened intently to every word Hassan el-Habib spoke.

One evening Hassan el-Habib said to his driver, "Faisal, I’m tired and you heard this talk of mine many times, I wonder if you can give the lecture tonight instead of me."

Faisal looked perplexed, but Hassan el-Habib insisted. “Look, the talk is standard and you've heard it a hundred times. You give the talk and I'll rest at the back of the room.”

Eventually Faisal agreed. So he dressed in Hassan el-Habib's clothes and allowed himself to be ushered to the podium.

For his part, Hassan el-Habib, dressed as the chauffeur, sat at the back of the room. The lecture proceeded well and Hassan was impressed with how well the Faisal delivered it.

At the end of the lecture, another distinguished and well known scholar named Dr. Talb said that he would like to ask a question.

The real Hassan el-Habib recognised the scholar and knew that Faisal's lack of knowledge would be exposed – and it would appear as if Hassan el-Habib was unable to answer the question correctly!

Dr. Talb then proceeded, as a way of showing his own erudition, to ask a complex and convoluted question on Islamic law. There was no way Faisal would know the answer.

After a short pause, the chauffeur smiled and said, "Dr. Talb, You are one of the most famous Islamic scholars so I cannot understand how you can ask such a simple question. In fact, to show you how easy it is, I am going to ask my chauffeur to answer it for me.”  and with that invited the real Hassan el-Habib on stage to answer.

Saha F'tourkoum!

See Ibn's Ramadan Dairy
DAY ONE        DAY FIVE       DAY NINE          DAY THIRTEEN   DAY SEVENTEEN 
DAY TWO       DAY SIX           DAY TEN            DAY FOURTEEN  DAY EIGHTEEN
DAY THREE   DAY SEVEN    DAY ELEVEN    DAY FIFTEEN      DAY NINETEEN
DAY FOUR     DAY EIGHT     DAY TWELVE    DAY SIXTEEN      DAY TWENTY

DAY TWENTY-ONE   DAY TWENTY-TWO   DAY TWENTY-THREE  DAY TWENTY-FOUR
DAY TWENTY-FIVE

Please feel free to contribute your Ramadan stories, thoughts, observations and photographs. You can contact me via The View from Fez contact page. Just put "Ibn's Diary" in the subject line - Shukran!

SHARE THIS!

Ramadan Diary ~ 2015 ~ Day Twenty-Five

Ibn Warraq's Ramadan musings continue...

The 27th Day of Ramadan is only a couple of days away, but already the clothing souqs are doing a booming business outfitting young girls for whom Sabawachrine is an important Ramadan date. As I mentioned back on Day Sixteen,  Sabawachrine is the day the young girls get dressed up, put on makeup, adjust their tiara, grab their clutch purse and take to the main streets to promenade.

It is also an occasion for henna. At the end of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr is celebrated with gifts, family gatherings,  new outfits and henna! Women make a trip to the hammam, then find their favourite henna artist. Those who can afford it will decorate their hands, arms, legs and feet with tattoos in henna. In addition, Muslim women traditionally remove all their body hair and then henna their bikini area to soothe the itching!

Henna is a dye derived from a flowering tree called Lawsonia inermis that has been used since antiquity to colour skin, hair, fingernails, and fabrics. Henna tattoos last about a month, leaving behind a delicate perfume. They come in a slew of intricate, ornate designs, all of which symbolically celebrate weddings, holidays, and other important life transitions. The henna-producing leaves and bark are harvested between May and July, which often directly precede Ramadan, then macerated to produce a yellowish powder that becomes the basis for the dye.

As the end of Ramadan approaches, henna tattoo artists set up shop all over the streets, squares and alleys, ready to ply their craft as women gear up to celebrate the breaking of the month-long fast.

Henna is also thought to bring good fortune in life as in love: during lengthy engagement ceremonies, the mother of the groom makes her future daughter-in-law a symbolic gift, placing a small pouch of henna in the palm of her hand.

A word of warning: avoid black henna as it can cause illness. 

In the 1990s, henna artists in Africa, India, the Arabian Peninsula and the West began to experiment with para-phenylenediamine (PPD) based black .hair dye, applying it as a thick paste as they would apply henna, in an effort to find something that would quickly make jet black temporary body art. PPD can cause severe allergic reactions, with blistering, intense itching, permanent scarring, and permanent chemical sensitivities. Henna boosted with PPD can cause lifelong health damage.

Book your henna artist now, as they will be very busy over the next few days.

Henna photography

For those interested in photography there is a special Henna Ceremony being offered by the ALC-ALIF Photography Club under the guidance of Omar Chennafi. It will be an opportunity to photograph neighbourhood children and their families. The club will also we will provide free prints for the children to remember this special day.

Lipstick, toothpaste and kissing

One of our regular Diary readers, Alina from the Ukraine, wrote and asked "What things make your fast not good? Lipstick?" Meaning, I guess, what would break your fast. We will get to lipstick in a moment.

Okay. Not that I am an expert of religious edicts, but it is generally understood that during the hours of fasting nothing should enter your body and make its way to your stomach. Of course eating and drinking and sex are out. So too are injections of vitamins. Chewing gum or smoking definitely break the fast.

In some areas there is general agreement on fast-breaking issues, but in others, the main schools differ. There are four prominent schools within Sunni practice and two within Shi'a practice. The main Sunni schools are Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali. The main school in Morocco is the Maliki.

One thing they all agree on is the tricky issue of taking a shower or going for a swim. The actual showering or swimming are not the problem, but taking in water through the mouth or nose is considered to be fast-breaking by the four main Islamic schools.

Another slightly more tricky area is "accidental eating or drinking".  For example, if you are cooking and out of reflex taste the food to see if there is enough salt. When a person is forgetful, it means they unintentionally ate or drank, this doesn’t break their fast. Their fast is still valid. In the Qur'an, it says: ‘And there is no sin on you if you make a mistake therein, except in regard to what your hearts deliberately intend. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful’ [Al-Ahzaab 33:5]'.

When brushing the teeth and gargling, swallowing can be a problem if toothpaste reaches the throat. Most Muslims use miswak to clean their teeth and get rid of bad breath. The miswak is a teeth cleaning twig made from the Salvadora persica tree (known as arak in Arabic). A traditional and natural alternative to the modern toothbrush, it has a long, well-documented history and is reputed for its medicinal benefits.

One form of giving that is promoted during Ramadan is giving blood. There is some debate on this between various Muslim scholars, but the majority agree that it doesn’t. The Hanabli school of thought believes it does.

Ear and eye drops cause all sorts of disagreement Water or ear drops entering the ears are most likely to break the fast because some scholars say they can reach the stomach. Nose sprays can also break the fast if they reach the abdomen, so people should take precautions. As for eye drops, scholars differ on this. Some scholars may disagree about the nose spray just as some disagree that a sorbitrate, a pill placed under the tongue for patients suffering from heart problems, can break the fast.

Insulin injections for diabetic people are not an issue.  People are advised to take doses to bring their blood sugar to the normal range. Taking too much can make the person hungry and may lead to breaking a fast.

Dr. Mashael, from Dubai, is an expert in the area and says that there are two types of illnesses that determine whether a person should fast or not.

“If a person suffers from any type of illness that requires immediate medication, then that person is excused from fasting and must make it up. Fasting in this case can deteriorate their health and delay their recovery, this is why it is acceptable to not fast. However, a person suffering from a headache or any other illness that is tolerable can delay consuming their medication until Isha, Maghrib, or suhour. If the pain becomes intolerable, they do not have to fast.”

Applying lipstick, nail polish and perfumes for women is frowned on by most scholars because  in most cases they contain fruit or other flavours and these can reach the woman’s taste buds and throat when the tongue touches the lip. As for nail polish, it doesn’t break the fast but it must be removed before ablution because it does not allow water to touch the nails and the ablution then would not be deemed valid.

Back to Dr Mashael, who gives a warning about incense. "All kinds of frankincense, if intentionally inhaled, will reach the abdomen because of the incense smoke and break one’s fast. “Other perfumes do not break a fast, but applying them is disliked during fasting hours.”

Finally, to Khaleeq Ahmad Mufti, an Islamic scholar, who explains the problem with hugging and kissing is that it can trigger sexual behaviour.  “If a person ruins their fast [due to sexual behaviour], they must do Kaffara, which means they either have to feed 60 people or fast continuously for 60 days,” said Mufti.  You have been warned!

A Ramadan romance (Warning the following story may contain hugging and kissing)

Over the past three days Morocco World News has had almost exclusive coverage of what is described as "a very famous bilateral love story that brought two diplomatic missions on the same side".

Rebecca and Simo

It is a story that has all the ingredients of a teen love drama! Young girl, young man, flight to a foreign country, a search for the missing teenagers and then transatlantic diplomats stepping in and pulling them apart. You can just smell the popcorn and imagine the bidding by Hollywood moguls for the story.

The teenager, Rebecca Arthur, flew from JFK in New York on Monday July 6th, aboard the wings of juvenile romance! Rebecca’s journey to Casablanca announced the beginning of her one-thousand-and-one mile search for her virtual ‘pen-pal’, whom she met on Facebook.

It took Rebecca a few months to foster unquestionable trust in Mohamed Adalla, (Simo) and to build a solid relationship with her Facebook friend. That trust, we have learnt recently, was endorsed by Rebecca’s mother and evidenced by her written approval.

Conspiracy and envy were the main antagonists in Simo and Rebecca’s love story. Media outlets reported that it was Rebecca’s girlfriend who first spread the rumour of her kidnapping out of revenge and envy.

Clinton’s police, in the State of Connecticut started the search for the alleged missing girl on Thursday. With the help of the American Consulate in Casablanca, the intercontinental search led them to Essaouira where they found Rebecca safe and happy at her Moroccan host’s family home.

Other social media and news outlets ran with the story. According to Hespress, “the US embassy in Rabat and Casablanca will release a press communique on the subject. US officials are reassured that Rebecca is in safe hands” they reported.

Rebecca reacts to the news that they must part

The US officials received El Adala’s family in US consulate in Casablanca, and informed them them that Rebecca will turn 18 in five months, and she will have then the right to travel on her own. The officials also promised Mohamed El Adala to facilitate his travel to US in case he wants to join his girlfriend after she reaches the age of majority.

The young couple shared some of their photos on social media while enjoying their time together.

In a video posted on YouTube, the couple told their love story and how their romance made headlines in international media.

To bring a rapid and immediate closure to their story, the American consulate in Morocco persuaded Simo to convince Rebecca to return back to Connecticut by promising to facilitate their re-union in the spring of 2016.

As you read this, Rebecca should have arrived at JFK airport, having had her 15 minutes of fame. Her love story with Simo seems to be laying down the foundations of a new era in the global village where stories of ‘transcontinental missiles’ will be exchanged for ‘transcontinental love’. (SIGH)

Another of Hamid's moderately funny jokes...

Karim was a man who had worked all of his life, had saved all of his money, and was a real miser when it came to his money. Just before he died, he said to his only surviving son, Hicham, "When I die, I want you to take all my money and put it in the grave with me. I want to take my money to the afterlife with me."

And so he got his son to promise him with all of his heart that when he died, he would put all of the money in the grave with him. Two weeks later he was dead. Everyone gathered at the graveside where he lay, with a tearful Hicham  standing over him.

Just before the family members got ready to close the grave, Hicham said, "Wait just a minute!" Then he took a small box and put it in the grave by his father's side. Then the grave was filled.

His friend Driss said, "Please tell me you weren't fool enough to put all that money in there with your father."

But Hicham, a loyal son ,replied "Listen, I'm trustworthy; I can't go back on my word. I promised him that I was going to put that money in that casket with him."

"You mean to tell me you put that money in the casket with him!?"

"I sure did" said Hicham. "I got it all together, put it into my account and wrote him a cheque. If he can cash it, he can spend it."

Saha F'tourkoum!

See Ibn's Ramadan Dairy
DAY ONE        DAY FIVE       DAY NINE          DAY THIRTEEN   DAY SEVENTEEN 
DAY TWO       DAY SIX           DAY TEN            DAY FOURTEEN  DAY EIGHTEEN
DAY THREE   DAY SEVEN    DAY ELEVEN    DAY FIFTEEN      DAY NINETEEN
DAY FOUR     DAY EIGHT     DAY TWELVE    DAY SIXTEEN      DAY TWENTY

DAY TWENTY-ONE   DAY TWENTY-TWO   DAY TWENTY-THREE  DAY TWENTY-FOUR

Please feel free to contribute your Ramadan stories, thoughts, observations and photographs. You can contact me via The View from Fez contact page. Just put "Ibn's Diary" in the subject line - Shukran!

SHARE THIS!