POLITICS-EGYPT: Muslims Object to U.S. Bombing during Ramadan

By Cam McGrath Reprint | | Print |

Cam McGrath

CAIRO, Nov 19 2001 (IPS) - U.S. decision to continue bombing Afghanistan through the Islamic holy month of Ramadan threatens to erode what little public support Egyptians have for the military campaign.

“We’re no friends of the Taliban, but for the United States to attack Muslims during Ramadan shows that it does not respect Islam,” Sherif Salah, 34, a taxi driver says. “I am totally against it.”

During the holy month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, Muslims are expected to fast from sunrise to sunset, abstaining from food, drink, sex and even cigarettes during daylight hours.

They begin their day with a pre-dawn suhoor meal and gather once again at sunset for iftar, a meal that marks the breaking of the fast. The wealthy donate food so the poor may enjoy these meals too. It is part of the communal spirit of the holy month, during which benevolence and fraternal love are encouraged.

But history has shown that Ramadan is not always a peaceful time.

“Yes, Muslims have fought wars during Ramadan,” explains 45- year-old Khaled Kamel, an electrician. “We believe that the faithful who die while defending their land or holy places during this blessed month are martyrs.”

Islam does not prohibit war during Ramadan and history is replete with instances of Muslims engaged in battles during the holy month.

In its eight years during the 1980s, the bloody Iran-Iraq war never stopped for Ramadan. Neither did Muslim Mujahideens fighting Soviet occupation forces in Afghanistan.

In Algeria, where the Islamic Salvation Front has fought to establish a purist Islamic government, violence tends to increase during the holy month.

Muslims also have initiated wars during Ramadan. On the 10th of Ramadan in 624 AD, Prophet Mohammed launched a victorious military campaign that included the Battle of Badr and culminated in his triumphant capture of Mecca. On the same day in October 1973, which coincided with the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, Egyptian and Syrian forces launched a surprise attack against Israel that began the so-called Ramadan War.

Even before the first bombs fell on Afghanistan in early October, Muslim allies of the United States urged restraint during the fasting month. Washington said it was sensitive to the feelings of Muslims, but could not afford to give Al Qaeda and the Taliban an opportunity to regroup.

“The enemy won’t rest during Ramadan, and neither will we,” U.S. President George W. Bush said. “We’re going to pursue this war until we achieve our objectives.”

The first day of Ramadan this year fell on a Friday, the Muslim day of prayers. Sermons at mosques in Cairo were largely peaceful and steered clear of recent international events, focusing instead on the history and true meaning of the holy month.

At Al-Azhar Mosque riot police were in attendance, but Friday prayers were more restrained than in previous weeks, when worshippers streamed out of the mosque chanting criticism against U.S.-led military strikes on Afghanistan.

Instead, worshippers offered their prayers for the innocent victims of the campaign, and for Palestinians resisting Israeli occupation.

The Egyptian government was also restrained, with no statements issued by senior officials. President Hosni Mubarak had said in earlier statements that he hoped for the campaign to be resolved before the holy month.

“I hope with all my heart that the campaign is halted before Ramadan starts,” Mubarak said, adding: “but in military operations we can’t guarantee what the situation is on the ground and whether these operations can be stopped in a way that would (not) benefit the other side.”

“We are bombing today,” a U.S. Defence Department spokesperson told reporters on Nov 16, the first day of Ramadan. He added that there would be “no change in operations as a result of Ramadan”.

Grisly television images of slain Taliban fighters and reports that an errant bomb dropped in eastern Afghanistan had damaged a mosque during Friday prayers stirred sentiment in Egypt. Consecutive days of bombing have hardened opinions against the campaign.

“This is an outrage!” screamed a food wholesaler in Cairo’s Sahel district. “I swear, God will punish America for attacking innocent and faithful Muslims. These people have families too.”

But not all Egyptians are against the bombing campaign. Mohammed Rashidi, a tour guide in Cairo, says he risks losing his job because of the tourism slump stemming from the Sep 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and ongoing hostilities in Afghanistan.

“Why stop the bombing for Ramadan? Everyone in Egypt is hurting because of what these terrorists (Al Qaeda) did and Egypt’s economy won’t improve until this war is over. The sooner this war finishes, the sooner we can get on with our life,” he says.