End of Ramadan

[mendeleyev]

From the Mendeleyev Journal:

Ramadan, the month long Muslim holiday of fasting (when daylight) ended yesterday, 7 August and today the three day celebration began in most countries around the world.

By the thousands Muslims filled the streets of Moscow with prayers at sunrise to begin the holiday of Uraza Bairam (Eid al Fitr) which is translated as the Feast of the Breaking of the Fast, the Muslim festival is known in the Russian Federation and Central Asia as Uraza Bayram (Ураза-байрам).


Uraza Bairam: Muslim sunrise prayers, Moscow 2013 on Prospekt Mira (Avenue).

A lavish feast is one of the holiday's traditions. Muslim believers say that during the feast the goal is to feed guests with everything the host has to offer, so that no food is left.


Ritual washing before prayers.

In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, many Muslims wore new clothes to visit local mosques. Fasting is accomplished during Ramadan by refraining from food and drink during daylight hours from sunrise to sunset. Smoking, drinking and sex during the daylight hours are also prohibited.


Moscow: Police form lines into and out of Metro stations.

Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin released a statement saying that, "The Muslim community in Russia is actively involved in our country’s life, and makes a unique contribution to educating young people and developing interfaith dialogue."


A common practice is to surround police and first responder vehicles in order to render them immovable during prayers.

The city of Moscow employed an additional 3,000 police officers to assist with crowd control, traffic movement and to curtail violence. The holiday is often accompanied by violence and Islamic extremists took credit for a bombing in the Philippines that killed 8 people and in Jakarta a bomb exploded outside an ancient Buddhist Temple injuring several bystanders but none were killed.



Moscow: side streets filled up by sunrise.

Last year the national Islamic television channel, Al-RTV, was launched in Russia on the day of Uraza Bayram. The channel promotes an Islamic view of news and culture for Russia's Muslims.


Another practice is to block train tracks and bus stations during prayers.

In Russia, the Republic of Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov issued a greeting to Russian Muslims by saying, "I am sure that Tatarstan Muslims and representatives of other religions will contribute to consolidation of peace and concord, creation of fair and prosperous society."


Moscow: Muslim women from the Caucasus wait for their men to pray.

Men are the first to visit their friends and relatives during the beginning of Russia’s Eid al-Fitr, while women are allowed to pay visits on the second and third days.

The largest Russian celebrations take place in Chechnya, Tatarstan, Bashkiria and in the whole North Caucasus region. Several countries, including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, don't begin the Eid holiday until Friday until the moon is observed.

(All photographs: Ilya Varlamov)

[Larry1]

These are two troubling bits that popped out:

A common practice is to surround police and first responder vehicles in order to render them immovable during prayers.

Another practice is to block train tracks and bus stations during prayers.

It's one thing for Muslims to be free to conduct their religious events but by blocking trains and buses during prayers they are trying to impose on the nonMoslems who need to take a train or bus.  And if they're already pulling this stuff when they're a minority in Moscow, imagine what it's going to be like when they eventually become the majority in Moscow.

[mendeleyev]

blocking trains and buses during prayers they are trying to impose on the nonMoslems who need to take a train or bus

One of the reasons why I don't believe in the myth of "moderate" Islam is ultimately submitting to Islam means that non-Muslims are required to arrange their lives around a Islamic majority. The very practice of that faith requires that during prayers everything stops and there is quiet.

These kinds of actions don't bode well for the future of Russia, no matter which faith one chooses.

[SANDRO43]

The very practice of that faith requires that during prayers everything stops and there is quiet.

I'm not familiar with Islamic ritual, but are they not required to pray in a mosque, if available ? That is their equivalent of a church, where the same rules/courtesies apply, IINM.

BTW, up to 2008 a small Milan mosque could never accommodate the entire congregation on Fridays, so they had to squat 3/4-deep just outside, on the narrow sidewalk of a busy ring road:

But they never interfered with the heavy and noisy traffic at their elbows. Maybe Muslims residing here are more civilised than those in Moscow ?

[ML]

First comes calls for tolerance, then acceptance, then embracing, then adherence.

Does this remind of some other concepts sweeping the world?

[SANDRO43]

First comes calls for tolerance, then acceptance, then embracing, then adherence.

Religious freedom/tolerance is in most countries' constitutions - yours included, IINM - but the other 3 do not necessarily follow it in history, except for Nazi Germany .

[mendeleyev]

There are 4 large Mosques in Moscow and the Muslim population would like to build more--a sticky issue with the city. The largest on Prospket Mira is undergoing renovations and that puts even more pressure on street events such as this one.

[GQBlues]

...


Uraza Bairam: Muslim sunrise prayers, Moscow 2013 on Prospekt Mira (Avenue).

Interesting.

If this was the sunrise prayer, it would appear then that the Kaaba, The Rock, in Jerusalem is directly south of Moscow.

[SANDRO43]

If this was the sunrise prayer, it would appear then that the Kaaba, The Rock, in Jerusalem is directly south of Moscow.

The Kaaba (الكعبة al-Kaʿbah: "the Cube") is located in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) at 21.422495°N 39.826165°E:

Thus its Qibla (direction of prayer) from Moscow is 176.399169°, or almost due south. Although another Muslim sacred place and only a few degrees west, the Rock in Jerusalem is not where Muslim prayers are aimed at .

[tfcrew]

First comes calls for tolerance, then acceptance, then embracing, then adherence.

Does this remind of some other concepts sweeping the world?

That we must tolerate the intolerant?

[GQBlues]

The Kaaba (الكعبة al-Kaʿbah: "the Cube") is located in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) at 21.422495°N 39.826165°E:..

There goes my ignorance for the faith then, Sandro. All these times I had thought the Kaaba was referred to as the 'Black Rock' when they spoke of the Dome of the Rock, located in the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The most highly contested real estate amongst the 3 faiths.
 
  

[mendeleyev]

Understandable for any of us because unless one has spent a lot of time there it would be easy to confuse. Perhaps I'm wrong, but can only Muslims enter Mecca?

Trivia (but not trivial): Orthodox believers pray to the East but not specifically towards the Temple Mount but toward Jerusalem. As Jerusalem is not always east, depending on where you are, it is a symbolic "east." When an adult person is baptized into Orthodoxy (or the godfather of a baby being baptized), the person faces East when making the confession of faith from the Nicene Creed.

Orthodox are buried with feet facing East when possible so that at the resurrection we face the risen Lord who is described in Scripture as the light from the East. When you walk into an Orthodox home you often find an "icon corner" or "icon wall" which is an area for prayer and usually where several prayer icons are placed. That arrangement commonly has you facing East when standing at the icons.

Unlike the Jewish faith which looks for a future rebuilding of Solomon's Temple on that spot, the very place where Jews believe that Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac and the same spot where Muslims believe Mohammad ascended into heaven, the Orthodox belief is that the Church universal, all the people of God, represents the new/rebuilt Temple of David and Solomon.

[Patagonie]

Only muslims can enter in the city.
There are many checkpoints around the city to control the crownd entering.
In 1987 elite french force GIGN members needed to convert themselseves by reciting the chahada, afterwards they could help for the assault.

[Patagonie]

One of the reasons why I don't believe in the myth of "moderate" Islam is ultimately submitting to Islam means that non-Muslims are required to arrange their lives around a Islamic majority. The very practice of that faith requires that during prayers everything stops and there is quiet.

These kinds of actions don't bode well for the future of Russia, no matter which faith one chooses.

Not exactly, moderate islam, like sunnism can lives in good company with other people of others religions. However the fact is, in this countries you have to accept to be submit to the prominence of this type of state on your daily life. It is perfectly acceptable and easy to do.
The problem of western countries is that they don't strictly fix the rules to muslims people, they don't give the same answer to them than moderate (and extreme) islamic countries give to non muslims. It is why we are weak by non applying a reciprocity rule.
Extreme forms of islam see clearly only one dominant religion (guess which one LOL) with no tolerance.
Chiism is a minority generally victimised by sunnites. The actual syrian president, belongs to a chiit minority, it why he is helped by the Hezbollah.

[SANDRO43]

Orthodox are buried with feet facing East when possible so that at the resurrection we face the risen Lord who is described in Scripture as the light from the East.

Which means that the head is facing west, as for the ancient Egyptians (the direction of the reign of Osiris and afterlife) .

The east-west orientation of burials and sacred buildings predates Christianity: the direction of the rising and setting sun has been considered symbolic of birth and death since time immemorial by most civilisations.

Catholic churches are preferably orientated this way, too, with the apse and altar at the eastern end - St. Peter's in Rome being a notable, opposite exception.

[mendeleyev]

From the White House in Washington:

Michelle and I send our warmest greetings to Muslims celebrating Eid al-Fitr here in the United States and around the world. During the past month, Muslims have honored their faith through prayer and service, fasting and time spent with loved ones.

To help the many Syrians in need this Eid al-Fitr, the United States is providing an additional $195 million in food aid and other humanitarian aid, bringing our humanitarian contribution to the Syrian people to over $1 billion since the crisis began. For millions of Americans, Eid is part of a great tapestry of America’s many traditions, and I wish all Muslims a blessed and joyful celebration. Eid Mubarak.


One can't help but wonder why Mr. Obama omitted any mention of contributions by Christians and Jews since he makes a point to mention the Muslim faith contributions in his Easter and Passover greetings?

Hmm, the USA borrows money from China in order to give it to Islamic rebels...

[GQBlues]

I'm certain of the 'over $ 1 billion dollar donated' mostly comprised of military personnel and equipment, including but not limited to John McCain's bar tab, to oust Syria's administration.

Heck, why not Mendy, we were 'giving' Pakistan $600 million - $1 billion/yr in 'aid' while they provided safe haven for Al Qeada and helped bombed our troops and bombed their citizens as well.

Same ol' same old..

The Libyans even attacked, bombed and burned our prison embassy in Benghazi before it became fully operational because of an alleged retaliation from a silly movie - this while we were also donating to Libya's post-uprising welfare.

[mendeleyev]

Same ol' same old.

It does make one scratch your head and wonder how we attempt to reconcile all this at the end of the day. It seems to be a policy of "we'll pay you to be our friend, sometimes, sorta..."

[GQBlues]

I don't want to throw your threads off track, but I'm po'd as hell, so allow me a post and I'll shut the heck up...

We (the Feds) spend all these $$ supporting this and that when we're dead broke internally. Case in point, California's liberals succeeded in forming a program called 'Realignment' in light of our state being so broke from sustaining all these illegal immigrants and social leeches within our state. Consequently, our prison system is in shambles and shackles because of lack of fund.

Enter: The Democrat's Realignment program. We released convicted criminals before their time due to over-crowding. We can't either build additional facilities & sustains these criminals....it's supposed to be a violation of these criminals' civil rights to be in this type of condition...lovely.

Here's what happens to one of Jerry's Kids

Unbelievable. But we have monies and don't fret helping out illegal immigrants, social leeches, and everyone else abroad to the tune of billions of dollars when all the while he have serious problems here at home.

...and the IRS is auditing conservatives?

Rant off: Sorry!


May peace befall upon our Muslim brothers and sisters.

[mendeleyev]

I hear you. Some say it is inhumane but Russia has been rounding up illegal immigrants since a lady was brutally raped a few weeks back at a Moscow outdoor market. When police arrived to arrest the rapist, the man's relatives badly beat up the first policeman. I shouldn't mention the fact that the rapist and his relatives committed these crimes during Ramadan.

To make matters worse police revealed that the operators of the market, supposedly also of the religion of peace, were holding over 700 Vietnamese nationals as slaves in their garment businesses.

So Moscow has built a tent city because jails are full.

[Anotherkiwi]

I hear you. Some say it is inhumane but Russia has been rounding up illegal immigrants since a lady was brutally raped a few weeks back at a Moscow outdoor market. When police arrived to arrest the rapist, the man's relatives badly beat up the first policeman. I shouldn't mention the fact that the rapist and his relatives committed these crimes during Ramadan.

To make matters worse police revealed that the operators of the market, supposedly also of the religion of peace, were holding over 700 Vietnamese nationals as slaves in their garment businesses.

So Moscow has built a tent city because jails are full.

The "lady" was a 15 year old girl, and the man who was eventually arrested claims that he didn't do it - "by the time I got her pants off the desire had disappeared," according to a leaked police report.     However, what's this got to do with Ramadan?  I haven't seen any reports of this case which refer to religion (but, of course, I haven't seen any Russian-language reports).
 
As all religions (including your own) claim to be "religions of peace" you need to be more specific.

[mendeleyev]

The age of the girl might not matter in many Muslin countries but it does in Russia. Because she is underage, combined with the resentment over illegal immigrants, I fear that this young man is going to have the book thrown at him no matter whether he stopped or not.

However I spoke to an associate at RT to find out their take on the case and I do hope that prosecutors will take into consideration the fact that Magomed Magomedov is mentally retarded. That is a tough situation, as it appears that he is not capable of understanding his actions. That is a tough spot to be in when in Russia--not the kindest country to those with special needs.

In the case of his retardation I can understand the family defending him--Russian police often over react in arrests. The breaking of the skull of a policeman however is not going to help their case.

Normally a city matter, even President Putin has weighed in, saying that police were "on the take" for allowing the officer to be beaten and a police official has been arrested. A few years back we were at an outdoor shopping area similar to this one looking for a child's birthday gift and without warning several police cars, 3-4 officers to a car, swept in and began to beat the crap out of merchants, most of whom were obviously from places in the Caucasus. It was a classic case of beat up the suspects first and get a little blood flowing, then ask whether they have the appropriate vendor licenses and extort some money if they don't.

The problem for the man is that he is now in a two month detention until late September while the Investigation Committee tries to figure out what really happened. He confessed to the rape but with mental retardation a factor he likely couldn't define "rape" if asked and often special needs persons will tell authorities what they think the authorities want to hear, no matter what really happened.

Both Sobyanin and Navalny are making much ado about illegal immigration as part of the mayoral race. That has to do with Ramadan as city officials claim that 7 out of 10 illegals are Muslim. More than a few Moscow residents would tell you that it has also to do with the prohibition on sex during Ramadan.