VARIOUS: Followers of Islam around the world prepare to celebrate Ramadan

Across the world, Muslims began preparing to observe the fasting month of Ramadan. Lebanese Sunnis began Ramadan on Saturday (September 23, 2006), after the 34-day war between Hizbollah and Israel, with serious complaints over the highly priced merchandise. Colourful decoration filled the streets and people headed to street vegetable markets to shop for dinner. But many Lebanese complained about the high prices of vegetables and other goods, saying it was difficult for the poor to celebrate this month. "A family of three kids is able to manage, but what can I do? I have six children, what can I feed them? It is very difficult for us, and everything is more expensive now. Taxi and buses are charging us more. Why do we have to pay more? They are not raising salaries.," said Beirut resident Elham Nemani. During the Israeli-Hizbollah war, Israel imposed an air, land and sea embargo on Lebanon for nearly 56 days under the pretext of preventing Hizbollah rearming. Many of the country's supplies were coming to an end in the last few days of the embargo. The Israeli embargo caused a fuel crisis at the start and prices were increasing. Prices of merchandise and food were increasing too. In Iraq, the country's Sunnis had little hope that the period of fasting and prayer would take place in an atmosphere of peace. Clerics from Iraq's Shi'ite Muslim majority have yet to announce the start of the month, a timing dependent on sightings of the moon, but are likely to do so in the next day or two. Unusually for this time of year, Baghdad's Shorja wholesale market, the scene of a deadly blast which killed 24 last month, was almost empty. Stall owners blamed the decrease in shoppers on the deteriorating security situation and a decrease in purchasing power, saying that salaries, generous in the initial days after the fall of Saddam Hussein, had been eroded by inflation. Ordinary Iraqis, worried by the relentless sectarian violence, hoped that the month of Ramadan would help bring Iraqis together. "This month is holy because it is chosen by God, so we pray to God to bring all Iraqis together and unite us during this month and and to bestow peace and security on all Iraqis," said Mohammed Aboud. The threat of increasing violence is having an effect on how Iraqi Muslims plan to spend their evenings during the holy month. Instead of visiting friends and remaining outdoors late into the night, many Iraqis say they will spend quiet evenings at home and pray for a more peaceful Ramadan next year. Palestinians throughout the West Bank and Gaza welcomed the arrival of Ramadan in the midst of hard economic times. In Gaza, Ramadan last year was celebrated for the first time without Israeli military or settler presence in the strip, but the hopes expressed a year ago seemed to have significantly decreased this year. "The previous year was better (shopping wise). The siege...there is no stock to buy, even if we have money there is no stock to buy," a resident of Gaza told Reuters at the downtown market. Hard times mean a more simple Ramadan for many Palestinians. Ever since Hamas took power after winning elections in January 2005 and forming the government, Gaza has been under siege and an aid embargo has been placed on the Palestinians Authority. Hamas's charter calls to destroy Israel. The group wants to replace it with an Islamic state. In Beijing in China, white skullcaps glinted in the brightness of the sunshine as the faithful make their way into the mosque. They were there to attend the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) before the fasting begins. Located in downtown Beijing, Niujie Mosque hosts hundreds of Muslims each Friday. Muslims are required to pray five times a day, washing themselves before prayer and facing in the direction of Mecca while praying. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Islam uses a lunar calendar------that is, each month begins with the sighting of the new moon. Because the lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than the solar calendar used elsewhere, Islamic holidays differ each year. In 2006 Ramadan will begin on Sept. 24. Muslims believe that during the month of Ramadan, Allah revealed the first verses of the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam. With just over 20 million adherents, according to the government, there are as many Muslims in China as live in Syria, or Yemen, two predominantly Islamic countries. China's second largest religious community, after the 100 million or so Buddhists, most Muslims live in the western regions of Xinjiang, Qinghai and Gansu province, the poorest part in the country.

ITN Source | September 23, 2006

Tags:. .verses. .syria. .vegetables. .sunshine. .ordinary