The Star
Saturday September 20, 2008
Ramadan styles
By LIZ PRICE
A non-Muslim’s thoughts on how Ramadan is becoming commercialised in the cities.
I grew up in my native England and attended a Christian school. In religious education classes, we were taught about different religions, but we only skimmed the surface. It was rather meaningless to me as a child living in a Christian environment. In those early days, I had no contact with people of other faiths.
My first encounter with Ramadan (in 1976) was a bit of a shock. I was part of a British caving expedition to Morocco and we were on our way to North Africa, driving through France and Spain from England. When we arrived at the southern Spanish port of Algeciras to catch the ferry to Morocco, we found hundreds of vehicles parked outside the ferry terminal.
It was impossible to enter the terminal and it dawned on us that the vehicles outside were actually part of a massive queue. After some time, we realised that it was a day or two before Eid, and all the people were trying to return to their homes in Morocco for the end of the Ramadan festivities.
Our base camp was in the wilds of the Middle Atlas Mountains, and we had an armed guard provided by the local authorities.
At the end of the expedition, the local prince put on a feast for us. We were invited to an ornate tent and sat on cushions, and huge platters and bowls were brought in. There was a whole goat, chickens and various vegetarian dishes.
Stalls serving the famished in Malaysia. — ART CHEN/The Star
There was no cutlery and it was the first time we Brits had to use our hands for eating. Men came round with water jugs for us to wash before and after the meal. What I remembered about this feast was the locals diving for the goat’s eyeballs and internal organs, which were considered a delicacy.
Since those days, I have travelled in many Muslim countries and have come to learn a lot about Ramadan. Fasting is meant to teach a person patience, sacrifice and humility. Muslims also pay Zakat during the holy month, which is a welfare payment to help the poor and needy.
My next close encounter with Ramadan was in Indonesia when I was backpacking there in the late 1980s. Travelling by bus during the day time wasn’t too much of a problem, as Muslims are allowed to break their fast if they are doing long journeys. However, I did feel awkward to eat snacks on the bus and tried to avoid doing this, out of respect for the fasting travellers.
Now I am living in Malaysia, and am well used to Ramadan. As Malaysia is a multi- racial country, the fasting month doesn’t directly affect me, as around 30%-40% of the population is not Muslim. It is not a problem to eat out during the day as restaurants stay open for non-Muslims.
I know Ramadan is not only about fasting, but as a non-Muslim, that is the side I tend to know more about. In Malaysia, many street stalls open in the afternoon selling a tempting array of all kinds of cooked foods. Although it’s normal to have a weekly pasar malam or night market in towns, the Ramadan stalls are open every day and sell a bigger variety of food.
The foods are freshly cooked and smell so good. I admire the Muslims who are able to buy these goodies yet resist the temptation of eating them until it is time to break fast.
For me, it would be torture to sit in front of hot food after a long day of fasting, yet not be able to touch it for another few minutes. Obviously, their faith helps them overcome the inducement of taking a mouthful.
In Kuala Lumpur and other cities, hotels and restaurants outdo each other with their Ramadan buffets. They try to offer bigger and better spreads than their rivals. These feasts are not cheap, and each year the cost increases.
There is some criticism that as this is the holy month, should so much money be spent on these expensive commercial buffets?
In the cities, many people actually gain weight through overeating at night.
The other commercialism I see is the increase in people buying new clothes and textiles and decorations for the home. This seems to be standard practice in Asia and isn’t confined to Muslims, as Chinese do the same thing for Chinese New Year and Indians for Deepavali.
In England for Christmas, we never spent money on the house, nor did we buy new clothes. Instead we spent money on presents for family and friends. For Asians, it seems more important to beautify the home for celebrations than it is for Western householders.
As a non-Muslim living in a Muslim country, I do tend to see the more commercial side of Ramadan. However, I know that many of my Muslim friends are observing the other tenets of Islam during this holy month.
Although it has been a tough month for some, the rewards of knowing one has fulfilled one’s religious duties are great.
Since writing this, I heard that one such buffet at a 5* hotel in KL costs RM170 , that's US$50 or £27.
I grew up in my native England and attended a Christian school. In religious education classes, we were taught about different religions, but we only skimmed the surface. It was rather meaningless to me as a child living in a Christian environment. In those early days, I had no contact with people of other faiths.
My first encounter with Ramadan (in 1976) was a bit of a shock. I was part of a British caving expedition to Morocco and we were on our way to North Africa, driving through France and Spain from England. When we arrived at the southern Spanish port of Algeciras to catch the ferry to Morocco, we found hundreds of vehicles parked outside the ferry terminal.
It was impossible to enter the terminal and it dawned on us that the vehicles outside were actually part of a massive queue. After some time, we realised that it was a day or two before Eid, and all the people were trying to return to their homes in Morocco for the end of the Ramadan festivities.
Our base camp was in the wilds of the Middle Atlas Mountains, and we had an armed guard provided by the local authorities.
At the end of the expedition, the local prince put on a feast for us. We were invited to an ornate tent and sat on cushions, and huge platters and bowls were brought in. There was a whole goat, chickens and various vegetarian dishes.
Stalls serving the famished in Malaysia. — ART CHEN/The Star There was no cutlery and it was the first time we Brits had to use our hands for eating. Men came round with water jugs for us to wash before and after the meal. What I remembered about this feast was the locals diving for the goat’s eyeballs and internal organs, which were considered a delicacy.
Since those days, I have travelled in many Muslim countries and have come to learn a lot about Ramadan. Fasting is meant to teach a person patience, sacrifice and humility. Muslims also pay Zakat during the holy month, which is a welfare payment to help the poor and needy.
My next close encounter with Ramadan was in Indonesia when I was backpacking there in the late 1980s. Travelling by bus during the day time wasn’t too much of a problem, as Muslims are allowed to break their fast if they are doing long journeys. However, I did feel awkward to eat snacks on the bus and tried to avoid doing this, out of respect for the fasting travellers.
Now I am living in Malaysia, and am well used to Ramadan. As Malaysia is a multi- racial country, the fasting month doesn’t directly affect me, as around 30%-40% of the population is not Muslim. It is not a problem to eat out during the day as restaurants stay open for non-Muslims.
I know Ramadan is not only about fasting, but as a non-Muslim, that is the side I tend to know more about. In Malaysia, many street stalls open in the afternoon selling a tempting array of all kinds of cooked foods. Although it’s normal to have a weekly pasar malam or night market in towns, the Ramadan stalls are open every day and sell a bigger variety of food.
The foods are freshly cooked and smell so good. I admire the Muslims who are able to buy these goodies yet resist the temptation of eating them until it is time to break fast.
For me, it would be torture to sit in front of hot food after a long day of fasting, yet not be able to touch it for another few minutes. Obviously, their faith helps them overcome the inducement of taking a mouthful.
In Kuala Lumpur and other cities, hotels and restaurants outdo each other with their Ramadan buffets. They try to offer bigger and better spreads than their rivals. These feasts are not cheap, and each year the cost increases.
There is some criticism that as this is the holy month, should so much money be spent on these expensive commercial buffets?
In the cities, many people actually gain weight through overeating at night.
The other commercialism I see is the increase in people buying new clothes and textiles and decorations for the home. This seems to be standard practice in Asia and isn’t confined to Muslims, as Chinese do the same thing for Chinese New Year and Indians for Deepavali.
In England for Christmas, we never spent money on the house, nor did we buy new clothes. Instead we spent money on presents for family and friends. For Asians, it seems more important to beautify the home for celebrations than it is for Western householders.
As a non-Muslim living in a Muslim country, I do tend to see the more commercial side of Ramadan. However, I know that many of my Muslim friends are observing the other tenets of Islam during this holy month.
Although it has been a tough month for some, the rewards of knowing one has fulfilled one’s religious duties are great.
Source:
Since writing this, I heard that one such buffet at a 5* hotel in KL costs RM170 , that's US$50 or £27.
Your understanding is of a world wide knowledge.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the article was shortened a bit, I was quite happy that the Muslim editor didn't censor it !!
ReplyDeleteAll's well that ends well. NOT like " the food is worst than dog-food" RESPOND " we give her dog-food ?" OR " go to hell" RESPOND "only God can send a person to hell" We talk english so stick to english.
ReplyDelete