BAHRAIN: Civic spirit intensifies in Bahrain during Ramadan

Bahrain's Muslims boost their donations to charity during Ramadan, enabling mosques to offer free Iftar meals to poorer Muslims, who are mostly migrant workers. They also intensify their social activity at evening gatherings, known as "majalis" As sunset approaches in Bahrain's capital, Muslims flock to their habitual social and family gathering place for the Iftar meal. Families and friends get together, impatiently awaiting the call prayer to sound from mosque minarets, signalling the end of the fast. During Ramadan, when Muslims abstain from food, water and smoking from dawn till dusk, the faithful focus on spirituality, piety and above all generosity and charity. While well-to-do families usually break their fast at home, those on low incomes find free Iftar meals at the mosques, which are funded by charitable societies. Hundreds of mosques pack thousands of Muslims, mostly migrant workers from the Indian Subcontinent. The charities also offer them 20 Bahraini dinars (53 USD) to help them and celebrate Eid, the feast which comes at the end of Ramadan. The charity apparatus that comes alive during Ramadan includes taking voluntary donations and volunteers running around town collecting money. Bahraini civil society also witnesses heightened activity during Ramadan evenings. This is evident in the "majalis", which are informal evening social gatherings usually organised in people's homes, bringing together men from various walks of life to meet, chat and socialise in a relaxed, congenial atmosphere. ''We in Bahrain, thank God, have this lovely phenomenon that has been with us for years. This is evidence of the authenticity of this society and of this ancient Bahraini people, because through these Majalis (plural of majlis) we meet with brothers, fathers, acquaintances, friends and neighbours and we interact and discuss many issues relevant to society and the nation," says s Hasan Ibrahim Kamal, a majlis organiser. The majalis, which proliferate in the evening after Iftar, may have socialising as their main objective, but they often serve as venues for key business and marriage negotiations. ''For example, this year, several commercial deals were concluded at these majalis, many solutions were reached, many marriages agreed, marriages, weddings. That is something to be proud of, because the majalis keep various sectors of society in touch with one another, they create an atmosphere of familiarity and affection. Also, there is no difference between the rich and the poor in these majalis," says Kamal.

ITN Source | October 7, 2007

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