Ramadan in Jerusalem (al-Quds)
by noreens | September 7, 2010 at 12:08 AM
I went to the Old City of Jerusalem (al-Quds in Arabic) a couple of nights ago. It is a very special place, especially during the month of Ramadan. Fasting is one of Islam's five pillars. Ramadan is a very nice month filled with visits to family and friends, and good food. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, and it gives one a chance to empathize with the poor and hungry each day for a month. Many poor people feel hunger ALL THE TIME.......year-round. It is also a time when people's generosity, caring and goodness really shows.
Islam is a very misunderstood religion, and I feel that people are very critical of certain aspects of it without trying to understand the reasons behind these things. I am still learning, and have been reading a lot about my own religion, and still, there are many things that I also do not understand. However, I think that the things that might seem a bit strange should be understood before being criticized, and the goodness in the religion should not be ignored.
Below is the link for my article about Ramadan that was just printed today in the Gulf Times (Qatar). It's a PDF file. I hope whoever reads it will enjoy it!
http://www.gulf-times.com/mritems/streams/2010/9/7/2_384556_1_255.pdf
Comments
Understanding
Thank you for your post, Noreens! You have such a visual way of writing; it makes the scenes you are describing come alive. It's good to have your voice balancing some of the mass of (mis)information about everything that has been happening in the Middle East and about the world's religions. Keep going!
Andrea
Thanks a lot Andrea! I'm glad
Thanks a lot Andrea! I'm glad you got a chance to read my article and liked it. I do try to draw a picture in the readers' minds, so I am happy that I was successful! I love writing about people and their stories - I've met some very interesting people. I am grateful to them for allowing me and the readers into their lives to share their problems and happy times, if only for a brief moment. I will continue posting my articles in the hope that they make an impact! Thanks!
Noreen
Thanks a lot Andrea! I'm
Thanks a lot Andrea! I'm glad you got a chance to read my article and liked it. I do try to draw a picture in the readers' minds, so I am happy that I was successful! I love writing about people and their stories - I've met some very interesting people. I am grateful to them for allowing me and the readers into their lives to share their problems and happy times, if only for a brief moment. I will continue posting my articles in the hope that they make an impact! Thanks!
Noreen
Beautiful !
Loved your article,Noreen – vividly written ! The Ramadan ‘culture’ of Al-Quds resounds that of Madina Al – Munawara’s.
I have always wished to spend few days of Ramdan at Al-Quds !
Keep writing !
thanks!
Thank you Farona! It really is very special there, and the peacefulness there takes me away from all the rush of regular life. I can only imagine how it would be at al-Munawara during Ramadan. I see from your profile that you live in Saudi..........who knows, hopefully one day you will be able to visit here. I plan to keep writing - it's my hobbie and my work, and I love it. It's especially rewarding when I get positive comments like yours! Thanks!
I'll be posting my articles in my journal, if you are interested in reading about life in my area.
Noreen