J

uly 15, p7

Alhamdulillah (thanks be to God), we'€™re finally approaching the end of Ramadhan '€“ only a few days to Idul Fitri and Lebaran. Yup, after a month of restraining yourself from food, drink and sex in the daylight hours, it'€™s time for a rave-up!(By Julia Suryakusuma)

Your comments:

Fasting has benefits but not for a whole month and definitely not when if skipping water in hot weather.

I'€™ve yet to meet a Muslim who can operate at 100 percent in terms of work while doing a full fast so it seems a little pointless in that respect.

Concentration and physical output are lower and yes, some definitely get unusually temperamental. I admire the discipline of it though.

Nate

I like the definition that I found from an American Muslim friend who stated that the month of Ramadhan is '€œthat time of year when I can check whether my moral brake is still working!'€

That'€™s another way of defining taqwa, or God-consciousness.

Obviously, the characters the writer chooses to depict here are those whose moral brakes are working poorly or not at all. Ask them to read again and again the meaning of the Koran'€™s chapter two, verse 183.

Anyway one has to make a clear distinction between Islam (the religion and its teachings) and Muslims (the people, their behavior and human failings and ignorance) before swallowing your article blindly!

IBD