Ramadan has started. Foreigners traveling to Muslim countries during the month of fasting should be aware they should not eat and drink in public until sunset. Muslims must not eat and drink during the day hours of the month and so it could be problematic for foreigners to get some drinks and food too.
Foreigners who stay in Muslim countries during Ramadan should be aware that it is advisable not to eat in public. According to Slovak foreign minister, foreigners should eat and drink during the day only in places where Muslims cannot see them. Ramadan has started on August 11 and during the month Muslims must not eat, smoke, drink or have sex from dawn until sunset. If you travel to a Muslim country during this month of fasting you could have some problems with getting food and drinks during day.
Sawm is the Arabic name for the fast during Ramadan. As server Cestovanie.sk informs it is the fourth pillar of Islam. Every healthy adult Muslim should fast during this month. Not everyone needs to abstain from drinking and eating. There are exceptions for children, tourists, sick and old people as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women.
The chairman of Slovak Islam foundation Mohamad Safwan Hasna says that Ramadan is not only about abstaining from food, drinks and other pleasures. It has a spiritual dimension. It is recommended to read the whole book of Koran during the month, meditate and pray, do as many good deeds as one can and give money to charity. According to him, the fast represents solidarity with the hungry. The date of Ramadan is not stable but moves because of the Islam lunar calendar that is why the start of the fast moves by approximately 11 days every year.
