Muslims celebrate this Eid with aid Many forgo traditional gifts to help victims of Asia earthquake

By Tara Dooley, Houston Chronicle
Nov. 3, 2005, 12:06AM
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Any other year, Dr. Kashif Ansari would be celebrating Eid al-Fitr
with a gathering of friends and family. He would be decked out in a
new suit for an elaborate feast and the exchange of gifts, traditions
of the Muslim holiday.
Not this year.
With the start of Eid today,Ansari will observe the traditionally
festive holiday with prayer, as is required by the faith. But there
will be few new clothes or gifts, he said. A banquet will be held as
afundraiser for survivors of the Oct. 8 earthquake in South Asia that
killed more than 73,000 peopleand left millions of others homeless,
most inPakistan.
"None of the families I know are (buying) new clothes," said Ansari,
who is involved in relief efforts through the Association of
Physiciansof Pakistani Descent of North America. "In Houston,
everybody I talk to has said, 'No, not this year.'
'Eid starts after the sighting of the crescent moon, which happened
Wednesday. It comes at the end of Ramadan, the holiest month of the
Islamic calendar, during which Muslims fast in daylight hours.
Observing Ramadan, which began Oct. 5, is considered one of the five
main pillars, or tenets, of the faith.
Another of the five pillars is giving to charity. And many Muslims
donate the required 2.5 percent of their assets during Ramadan.
Andy Ayub Badat helps the Islamic Circle of North America Relief
USA-Houston coordinate the purchase and shipment of two ambulances to
aid disaster relief efforts in Pakistan.
"Ramadan and charity are like brother and sister," said Naeem Baig, a
spokesman for the Islamic Circle of North America, which is providing
earthquake aid. "We knowfrom the life of the Prophet ... that during
the month of Ramadan his generosity is described as a 'rain that comes
with thewind.' "
Many Muslims, especially those of Pakistani descent, said they plan to
tone down their Eid festivities this year. Some said they plan to give
the money earmarked for feasts and finery to relief efforts in the
Pakistan tent cities that are being set up for survivors.
"It is very, very low key," said Anjali Khusro of Khazana Jewels, who
has experienced lower than normal holiday sales this year. "People are
not in the mood of celebrating Eid. They are in the mood of giving."
Ramadan is the most important time of the year for Muslim charities.
Since the federal investigations of Islamic aid groups with suspected
ties to terrorists after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, some Muslims
have opted to donate only to neighborhood causes.
But with the earthquake striking a predominantly Muslim country three
days after start of the holy month, donors have responded generously,
relief organizers said. Islamic Relief had to hire temporary employees
to keep up. "Donations have been coming in at record pace," said Arif
Shaikh, spokesman for the nonprofit headquartered in Los Angeles.
Since the earthquake, the agency has received $4 million in cash
contributions, Shaikh said. Money has been used to provide medicine,
food, winterized tents, mattresses and blankets.
Similarly, the relief arm of the Islamic Circle, ICNA Relief ,
experienced a marked increase in donations. In the three days after
the earthquake the group received$800,000, Baig said. In Houston, ICNA
Relief volunteers held fundraisers at local restaurants and collected
medicine to send to Pakistan, said Ayub Badat, a volunteer operation
manager for the agency.
The group also raised money to buy two ambulances which will be
shipped Friday to Pakistan.
The Islamic Society of Greater Houston collectedroughly $275,000 in
donations earmarked for Pakistan, President Rodwan Saleh said, and
headded that the majority of the group's Muslims are of Pakistani
descent.
"Everybody is paying, paying, giving, giving," said Badat, who plans
to travel to Pakistan next week.
Indeed, Muslim charities have been in overdrive since last year's
tsunami inSoutheast Asia struck a little more than a month after
Ramadan had ended, when people had already donated to their favorite
causes. Many charities, such as Islamic Relief, also supported relief
efforts after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Efforts in Pakistan will continue for years, relief groups said.
Though some are concerned that generosity may decrease with the end of
Ramadan when donors feel tapped out, Baig thinks the aid will
continue.
"The Muslim community inNorth America ... is a very blessed community
when it comes to financial resources," he said. "I am very hopeful it
will continue."

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Ramadan and Community Health

Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the fivepillars of Islam
enjoined upon Muslims by almighty Allah as mentioned in verse 183 of
chapter 2: "O you who believe! Fastingis prescribed to you as it was
prescribed to those before you, that ye may learn self restraint."
Reduced Crime and Higher Morale
The enormous impact of Ramadan on a Muslim society is seen from the
fact that as compared to the other months, the number of all sorts of
crimes and the magnitude of corruption, indecency, vicious behaviour
and immoral acts are all reduced markedly. The rate of crimes in
Muslim societies is already lower than other societies and it declines
even more in the holy month of Ramadan.
Violence and crime imposea great burden on the health budget of any
country. As a matter of factin most developed countries they supersede
the expenditure and agony caused even by the road traffic accidents.
In a Muslim country like Saudi Arabia the crime rate is already much
lower than other countries and it becomes minimal in the month of
Ramadan.
Fasting is not just the act of refraining from food and water; rather
it is a devotion to fulfill the religious duties as well as to behave
in a manner which is harmless to others, so that even if someone
incites a person to quarrel, he has to pacifyhim by acting upon this
saying of the Holy ProphetMuhammad (pbuh), "Fasting is a shield or
protection from the fire and from committing sins, if one of you is
fasting, he should avoid quarrelling and if somebody should fight or
quarrel with him he should say I am fasting."
In another Hadith, Allah's Apostle says, "Whoever does not give up
forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of hisleaving
food and drink."
Although such good teachings of Islam are not confined to the month of
Ramadan alone, yet they are best observed in this month. Hence, one
can notice a great fall in the crime rate, violence, loss ofworking
days due to offensive injuries and a great reduction in the cost of
medico-legal expenditure which has a pronounced effect on the health
budget of a given community.
There is no doubt in sayingthat the number of offensive injuries and
trauma cases reported to the emergency rooms in a Muslim country is
far less in the month of Ramadan than in any other month. Ramadan, in
other words, is a training period for the Muslims in which the
foundations of a subtle character are laid whose gains can also be
seen round the year and this has a positive effect on themorale of the
whole society.
Happiness and Reduced Stress
Now, to come to another blessedness of Ramadan. In today's stressful
time when every third person issuffering from a psychological problem
even though it might be a mild depression, the advent of Ramadan
meansan era of happiness and felicity for all Muslims.
Social insecurity is the rootcause of today's psychological chaos and
bereavement. Ramadan, incontrast, is a month of optimum social
interactionand familiarization with each other. Mosques are thronged
with worshippers, people invite intimate friends to iftar, shopping
centers are packed with crowds and Eid offers a rainbow of joyous
moments, althoughthe real happiness which the believers derive
comesfrom the fulfillment of Allah's order about which He says that
fasting is for Him alone and He will pay its reward.
Ramadan has its own culture, a glimpse of whichcan be seen at Iftar
when the whole family joins together to dine. Allah's apostle (pbuh)
says, "There are two pleasuresfor the fasting person: one, at the time
of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his
Lord. Then he will be pleased because of his fasting."
Not surprisingly, due to the decreased stress the human body's steroid
level, which is raised in stress and anxiety, has been found to be
decreased among Muslims in the month of Ramadan.
Cleanliness
Cleanliness is the hallmark of Islamic virtues. Although according to
Islamic teachings, a good Muslim offering his prayersregularly is
supposed to beneat and tidy, in the month of Ramadan personal
cleanliness among the Muslims reaches its peak. I need not mention
that a high level of cleanliness in the days of Ramadan will deter
infections. The zeal to offer prayers in Ramadan continues in other
days as well, more and more people form the habit of offering prayers
regularly, which by itself isa spiritual and health package for
Muslims.

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Ramadan for a Novice

I attended my first iftar earlier this month.

Iftar is the breaking of the fast that takes place every night in the
homes of observant Muslims during the month of Ramadan. Hosted by the
Sacramento Area League of Associated Muslims, the iftar I attended was
an interfaithevent, intended to educatenon-Muslims like me aboutthe
significance of Islam's holiest month.
Arden Fair Mall
I learned that Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar
calendar, the month Mohammed was supposed to have first received
divine revelationsfrom the Archangel Gabrielthat became the Holy
Qur'an. For a full lunar cycle, from full moon to crescent, adult
Muslims around the world refrain from food, drink and sexual relations
from dawn to sunset.
The fasting or sawm - the word in Arabic literally means
self-restraint - is meant to build discipline. As Imam Azeez, the
spiritual leader of the SALAM center, explained it, when people deny
themselves the simple permissible pleasures - food, drink, sex - it
becomes easier to refrain from the impermissible - alcohol or drugs or
criminal behavior. While attention focuses on food and drink, the
faithful are also supposed to refrain from foul language, gossip,evil
thoughts and even war during Ramadan.
Fasting is also a way to build understanding and empathy for those who
are suffering. Those who cannot fast because of illness or because
they are pregnant are required to feed the poor each day that they
themselves fail to refrain from.
Finally, Ramadan, we weretold, is about family. At theend of the day,
after prayer, families and friendscome together for iftars, tobreak
the fast. By tradition,the first foods eaten are dates and milk. At
the SALAM center that Saturday night, a sumptuous feast of spiced
rice, lamb, fried dumplings and sweets followed, all served in a
joyful holiday spirit.
It felt like Christmas. Our hosts regaled us with talesof Ramadan back
home in Egypt, Syria and Pakistan. They told us the month is very much
like Christmas, atime when mothers prepare their favorite dishes and
families and friends visit. On the last day of Ramadan, gifts are
exchanged. In fact, in many Muslim countries, Ramadan, like Christmas,
has become the principal shopping season and that has some worried
that, like Christmas, Ramadan will become tainted by commercialism.
But as I've watched the Muslims I know this Ramadan and in the past,
it seems unlikely. The central ritual of Ramadan, the fast itself,
prevents theMuslim holy season from drifting too far from its
spiritual roots.
To deny oneself all food and drink for 12 hours - not even a sip of
water is permitted - is very hard. To do that not just for a day or a
week, but for a full month, represents a commitment to faith that is
rare and precious and real. Certainly, it seems so to someone like me,
who has a hard time walking past the candy vending machine at work,
even after I've just had lunch. So, I left my first iftar impressed
and deeply moved.

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What does Jihad mean?

The word Jihad representsa concept which is much misunderstood in the
West. The concept is explained nicely by the Christian scholar Ira 6.
Zepp, Jr. in his book entitled A Muslim Primer on pages 133-135.We
adapt from his answer thefollowing:
The essential meaning of Jihad is the spiritual, psychological, and
physical effort we exert tobe close to God and thus achieve a just and
harmonious society. Jihad literallymeans "striving" or "struggle" and
is shorthand for Jihad fi Sabeel Allah (struggle for God's cause). In
a sense, every Muslim is a Mujahid,one who strives for God and
justice.
Al-Ghazali captured the essence of Jihad when he said: "The real Jihad
is the warfare against (one's own) passions. Dr. Ibrahim Abu-Rabi
calls Jihad "the execution of effortagainst evil in the self and
every manifestation of evil in society." In a way, Jihad is the
Muslim's purest sacrifice: a struggle to livea perfect life and
completely submit to God.
Another form of Jihad is the striving to translate the Word of God
into action. If one has experienced God and received guidance from the
Qur'an, one struggles to apply that guidance in daily life. So the
larger, more prevalent meaning of Jihad is the spiritual struggle of
the soul. In this case, Jihad is always present for the believer
whether there is an external enemy or not. We should never reduce
Jihad to violence.
A third level of Jihad is popularly known as "holy war." The classic
passage is found in the Qur'an:
Fight in the way of Allah those who fight against you, but transgress
not the limits. Truly Allah likesnot the transgressors (Qur'an 2:190).
It is crucial to note here that what is condoned is defensive warfare;
Islam cannot justify aggressive war. Muhammad and the Tradition are
also against killing non-combatants, torturing of prisoners, the
destruction of crops, animals andhomes. Adapted from Ira 6. Zepp,
Jr., A Muslim Primer (1992,Wakefield Editions, US) pp.133-135.
Robert Ellwood of the University of Southern California has the
following to say about the Muslimconcept of Jihad:
Out of the community ideal of Islam comes the concept of jihad,or
holy war, which is designed to defend Islam and allow itssocial
practice, though notto force individual conversions, which is
forbidden. Since Islam in principleis a community as well as a
religion, presumably only an absolute pacifist would beable to reject
the theory of jihad out of hand, since other communities also fight to
defend or expand their ways of life. (Many Peoples, Many Faiths by
Robert S. Ellwood, 4th edition, Simon & Schuster,US, 1982, p.346)./ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en