Sawm nom nom nom

Shouldn't all suffering be avoided? I've never said or thought, "I think I'll take a day off work and suffer." wtf?

oh, brother.

Biatch and moan all you will, but the evening Ramadan parties I've been to are like nothing else in this world.

Beer, wine, heaping piles of roast beef and chicken, and more flavours of hummus then you can shake a stick at.

After what they did to John Hurt in Midnight Express,
the entire lot of the fat, greasy bastards should starve.

It's their religion, what's a few more made-up rules? Fasting is just a brainwashing technique. It reinforces religious doctrine, sometimes people hallucinate and have "revelations" when their blood glucose level is low.

Bored Horde: evening

they're doing it wrong.

doncha know you are supposed to wait until .....

BREAK-FAST?

Bored Horde: Biatch and moan all you will, but the evening Ramadan parties I've been to are like nothing else in this world.

Beer, wine, heaping piles of roast beef and chicken, and more flavours of hummus then you can shake a stick at.

Yeah, Ramadan really is is mostly feasting.

And why shouldn't religious suffering be avoided at all costs?

If I lived in a country with a delicious name I would also have trouble fasting.

I have to admire the sane attitude of most Turks to their
religion. Rather like the attitude of Italians to catholicism:
Its a great idea in theory, and it gives you something to do
on Sunday, but its something to be ignored if it gets in your
way.

Bennetton: Sawm nom nom nom

LOL

Bored Horde: Biatch and moan all you will, but the evening Ramadan parties I've been to are like nothing else in this world.

Beer, wine, heaping piles of roast beef and chicken, and more flavours of hummus then you can shake a stick at.

Not so much with the beer and wine, but the feasts are good! The Muslims I know would probably think this was a cop out though.

/Then again, they're Albanians, not Turks - no idea if that makes any difference.
//Best part of Ramadan is Eid!

glassbottomboatcaptain: If I lived in a country with a delicious name I would also have trouble fasting.

Came here to say exactly this. Beat me by 2 min....

This is really no different than the Irish Catholics who still eat corned beef on St. Patrick's Day, despite it being in the middle of lent.

Inflatable Rhetoric: Shouldn't all suffering be avoided? I've never said or thought, "I think I'll take a day off work and suffer." wtf?

Depends on who you talk to, Inflatable Rhetoric. Both Judaism and Islam have prescribed days of fasting (though done differently), and fasting was practiced more heavily in Christianity, in the past. Sometimes it's considered suffering to understand the plight of the poor, sometimes it's supposed to be a cleansing effort, there are lots of reasons to fast.
<nom nom noms some poptarts>

Fasting during a food surplus is a great way to prepare for a food famine. Those who didn't train their bodies to survive a famine were pretty screwed when it DID come around (in a desert, no less).

Spud Boy: It reinforces religious doctrine, sometimes people hallucinate and have "revelations" when their blood glucose level is low.

That's why the bible calls it 'crucifying the flesh.'

peon36: This is really no different than the Irish Catholics who still eat corned beef on St. Patrick's Day, despite it being in the middle of lent.
...or how Pope Gregory declared rabbits to be a kind of fish for eating during Lent.

Islamic people drink a lot during Ramadan. I've bought liquor for them.

Inflatable Rhetoric
Shouldn't all suffering be avoided? I've never said or thought, "I think I'll take a day off work and suffer." wtf?

Because it's good for you.

Like a fat muslim man on a diet...don't try it! (new window)

/insane in the membrane, insane in the brain.

Religious suffering???!! I'll tell you about religious suffering!

Have you ever tried to leave the parking lot of one of those Christian mega-churches after Christmas mass? The amount of traffic is amazing. You could sit your car for something like 15 or 20 minutes before hitting the road. It's painful enough to go just once a year, I tell ya.

"Theologists have reassured them they have nothing to worry about."

Since when are Theologists God?

Hey, I used to take acid when my parents forced me to go to church, so whatever.

What? It's a like a religious experience, gimme a break.

snowshovel: religious suffering!

i kinda like you.

Bored Horde

Biatch and moan all you will, but the evening Ramadan parties I've been to are like nothing else in this world.

Beer, wine, heaping piles of roast beef and chicken, and more flavours of hummus then you can shake a stick at.

oh lordy, i live in the middle east - more often than not, i see Arabs gaining weight during Ramadan

Bored Horde: Biatch and moan all you will, but the evening Ramadan parties I've been to are like nothing else in this world.

Beer, wine, heaping piles of roast beef and chicken, and more flavours of hummus then you can shake a stick at.

WTF? O.K., the good food sounds fine, but beer and wine? Aren't Muslims not supposed to drink alcohol? I mean, if you care enough about religious dictums to not eat during daylight for a month, why not just give up booze, too?

CaptainBeer: Hey, I used to take acid when my parents forced me to go to church, so whatever.

What? It's a like a religious experience, gimme a break.

I think I would flip out. Especially if people started talking in tongue. Talk about bad trip.

stevarooni: Inflatable Rhetoric: Shouldn't all suffering be avoided? I've never said or thought, "I think I'll take a day off work and suffer." wtf?

Depends on who you talk to, Inflatable Rhetoric. Both Judaism and Islam have prescribed days of fasting (though done differently), and fasting was practiced more heavily in Christianity, in the past. Sometimes it's considered suffering to understand the plight of the poor, sometimes it's supposed to be a cleansing effort, there are lots of reasons to fast.
<nom nom noms some poptarts>

Yup. The idea of fasting during Ramadan is to put every muslim no matter how rich or powerful in the same position as the very poorest people who go hungry every day. Also it's to remind you of God's sustenance, so when you break your fast at the end of the day you appreciate all that God gives you. Or something like that.

Of course people cheat, too. In Saudi Arabia most everyone goes nocturnal; at sunset begins a big party, all the shops & restaurants are open and everyone stays up all night eating. At first light of dawn everything closes, everyone goes home and to sleep. So They're Doing It Wrong.

peon36
This is really no different than the Irish Catholics who still eat corned beef on St. Patrick's Day, despite it being in the middle of lent.

Honestly, I only recently began eating corned beef on St. Patrick's Day, and that's only because a friend began cooking it at his party. My Italian friend. Now I buy it whenever it's on sale because I grew a taste for it.

Maybe they should all just eat Ramen-dan Noodles and who cares?
Unless they are thrying to kill someone, let them believe what ever mumbo jumbo they want.

RocketRay: So They're Doing It Wrong.

/breakfast
//BREAKFAST
///BREAK-FAST

CaptainBeer: Hey, I used to take acid when my parents forced me to go to church, so whatever.

What? It's a like a religious experience, gimme a break.

"Mom, is it me or is this pew made of snakes"?

Spud Boy: It's their religion, what's a few more made-up rules? Fasting is just a brainwashing technique. It reinforces religious doctrine, sometimes people hallucinate and have "revelations" when their blood glucose level is low.

Actually, the mortification of the flesh is not always a bad idea, not brainwashing. Although I'm now an agnostic, my Catholic childhood of fasting and abstaining some days of the year, and "giving up" stuff during Lent, gets me away from the "I've always had it so I NEED IT NOW, it's a NECESSITY" mentality that affluent people can get.

myalias1845
CaptainBeer: Hey, I used to take acid when my parents forced me to go to church, so whatever.

What? It's a like a religious experience, gimme a break.

I think I would flip out. Especially if people started talking in tongue. Talk about bad trip.

Nowaydude! That would totally make all thje talk of damnation and sin worth it! I'd start laughing my ass off! Like "I may be completely out of my gourd, but I'm no way nearly as screwed up as you guys!"

I did take a hefty swig of communion wine. That drew some stares. Maybe they were just jealous they hadn't thought of it first. Shortly after, they stopped having wine altogether. Kinda makes you think, huh?

Well, time to Chalk up another reason why Islam is for idiots.

RocketRay: In Saudi Arabia most everyone goes nocturnal; at sunset begins a big party, all the shops & restaurants are open and everyone stays up all night eating. At first light of dawn everything closes, everyone goes home and to sleep. So They're Doing It Wrong.

ive been endlessly amused by this.

but woe befall anyone who points out the near stupidity in just shifting the timeframe. this is blasphemy! this is madness! *boot*

All muslims I know have Ramadan parties in the evenings. And they kick some serious butt! The point isn't to be miserable the entire time but to be thankful. And boy is one thankful at a kickass banquet after a day of fasting.

I think we should make Ramadan into an American holiday to help with the morbidly obese slob epidemic.

Bored Horde: Biatch and moan all you will, but the evening Ramadan parties I've been to are like nothing else in this world.

Beer, wine, heaping piles of roast beef and chicken, and more flavours of hummus then you can shake a stick at.

I second that. Also, a couple of my friends would stay up all night and sleep all day during Ramadan.

stevarooni: Inflatable Rhetoric: Shouldn't all suffering be avoided? I've never said or thought, "I think I'll take a day off work and suffer." wtf?

Depends on who you talk to, Inflatable Rhetoric. Both Judaism and Islam have prescribed days of fasting (though done differently), and fasting was practiced more heavily in Christianity, in the past. Sometimes it's considered suffering to understand the plight of the poor, sometimes it's supposed to be a cleansing effort, there are lots of reasons to fast.
<nom nom noms some poptarts>

People think of reasons to self-flagellate, too. I don't see anything gained by it. It's nonsensical.

at80eighty: but woe befall anyone who points out the near stupidity in just shifting the timeframe

It's not about shifting the timeframe, you still work in the day (unless you're Saudi, but they're a bunch of fiqr loving infidels anyway) so you don't stay up late at all. Like I said above, it's about going without and rejoicing in what you have when you do get it. At least that's what I was told by some people in the Mideast, I suppose each person may have a spin on why they do it.

Mouser: Inflatable Rhetoric
Shouldn't all suffering be avoided? I've never said or thought, "I think I'll take a day off work and suffer." wtf?

Because it's good for you.

What is?

Bored Horde:

Beer, wine, heaping piles of roast beef and chicken, and more flavours of hummus then you can shake a stick at.

Yeah, Ramadan really is is mostly feasting.

Some of the best eats that I have ever had were from a Muslim wedding party. Can't speak for Ramadan.

/ And this from a guy who grew up on a farm that raised lamb.

Wouldn't that be something, damnation for cheating during Ramadan.

Inflatable Rhetoric: Suffering horribly is recommended by eight out of ten cats and at least a dozen or so family physicians somewhere.

religious suffering as something to be avoided at all costs

Couldn't agree more. Self-loathing bullshiat.

I dont discount the religion in itself morrisonsl. like i mentioned earlier , ive lived in the M.E. most of my life & i find the regional practice a bit farcical.

then again a lot of rubbish goes on here that's haraam. i find Muslims from other parts of the world 'truer' believers anyway

So what is the "entire point of religious fasting", subby?

There is a joke with Christian and secular Arabs you wouldn't make around Muslims that the real fasting happens in the month after Ramadan. That's when most of the population starts dieting trying to shed the weight scientific studies have shown Muslims put on during Ramadan.