Saturday, September 23, 2006

Ramadan in Sweden


Blessed Ramadan people!

Every year in Sweden it's the same. There are always two groups of people who decide to start fasting on seperate days resulting in two different Eids. What's the deal?

This year is no different. I got a call from a friend who tells me Ramadan is on Saturday in England, the UAE and Saudia Arabia. Our Grande Mosque in Stockholm have also said they are fasting tomorrow. I checked around with a couple of other people and even Pakistani Television announced that it starts tomorrow.

Then we have this one little group. A group of Pakistani Uncles involved in the tablighi jamaat that happen to run a masjid my father frequents.

Me: Dad everyone is fasting tomorrow (Saturday).
Dad: No no, I just spoke to Uncle so and so and he said it is on Sunday.
Me: Dad, everyone is fasting tomorrow, I am not gonna fast on Sunday.
Dad: But Uncle so and so has said...

YAWN...

I am fasting on Saturday, and this year it still seems that a larger majority than usual has decided to start Ramadan on Saturday which is a great improvement to last years three different Eids!

Swedish stores are now picking up on the whole Ramadan vibe and some even advertise for dates or other products under the occasion of Ramadan. A swedish newspaper has also enlisted a Muslim blogger to blog about her Ramadan experience.

10 comments:

Destitute Rebel said...

Ya we have the same problem here in Dubai there are usually two different days for starting ramadan and the eid. Most of Dubai is starting tomorrow, its official, some will start day after.

Shaykhspeara Sha'ira said...

I don't get that. Which group is fasting on Sunday? Do they happen to be pakistans? lol

Destitute Rebel said...

well - some pakistanis and some others. its totally random.

BuJ said...

usually most people fast on one day (led by the Saudis generally) and a small minority (usually Oman, Jordan, and Algeria) start on the other day...

typical muslim disunision...

Shaykhspeara Sha'ira said...

Hmm...

Welcome Buj! What do you think of our quarters?

Jordan, Oman and Algeria you say? I will text my friends in Damascus and see what winds have blown on them.

Syed Sibgatullah said...

sort of a typical pakistani behaviour!!! :)

i now wonder this: i've ponly seen the largest disagreement on the eid moon, followed by the ramazan moon. i've never in my life seen disagreement on the sighting of moon for the other ten months!!

* said...

Oh ho! What is typically pakistani behaviour?
Whats for iftaar?
Now thats more like it.

Shaykhspeara Sha'ira said...

Syed, valid point! lol

Kaya jaan, what's for iftar is a question I expect answered by you. You know that I am waiting for you to cook some nice meals, post pictures and recipees of them...don't make me cook, please.

Boo! said...

You seem releived that there are only two 'starting days' of Ramadan compared to 3 Eid days last year... but the thing is, there are generally 2 starting days of Ramadan, and these lead to 3 Eids. Some of the people who are unanimous on the moon sighting for one month, might not agree for the next month!

It always is a bit of a mess. In Pakistan, you can celebrate 'first day of Eid' for three consecutive days if you start from the North-West and move South-East. I was surprised to find out similar behavious in the US where some people will follow ISNA, and others will not.

To each his own, I guess...

Shaykhspeara Sha'ira said...

We have the same issue in small teeny weeny sweden. I mean hello? If our muslim population has three different eids, its a joke. The non Muslim swedes ask us every year, how can you have two different Eids?

Well we are Muslims, that's why...