The first Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan passed quietly in Jerusalem, Israel Radio reported, as some 2,500 police officers deployed in and around the capital’s Old City. Police officers were stationed in the alleyways of the Old City and around the Temple Mount and Western Wall in an effort to prevent possible disturbances. They did not, however, restrict the age of worshipers allowed to enter the Temple Mount compound. Also Friday, Israel Radio reported that the Israel Defense Forces had renewed its warning against hitchhiking, citing threats of Palestinian abductions of soldiers and civilians. The Middle East was jittery this week as it headed into Ramadan, the holy month of fasting and spiritual introspection that has become a time of increased attacks by suicide bombers who believe they receive extra blessings. From Iraq to Lebanon to Sinai, the month of prayer and after-dark feasting is now a month of heightened security. Israel urged its citizens not to travel to Egypt’s Sinai peninsula during the Jewish holidays, which coincide with Ramadan’s start, because Arab militants were planning to kidnap Israeli tourists there. Thousands of Israelis cancelled plans to visit Sinai, travel agents said, after Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said the threat of attacks was „substantial.” In Egypt, an Islamic group that previously claimed responsibility for this summer’s attacks at Sharm el-Sheikh vowed Sunday to launch an all-out war against Israelis, Americans and Egyptian police. An Egyptian security official said security was high across the country. Militants have not issued specific Ramadan-related threats, but the spike in violence in recent years – especially suicide attacks in Iraq – has been notable. One possible reason is the belief by some Islamic extremists that those who die in combat for a holy cause during Ramadan are especially blessed. „This is a month that has a spiritual feel to it, which condones the issue of jihad [holy war],” said Diaa Rashwan, an Egyptian expert on Islamic groups. Tradition holds the Prophet Muhammad led his forces in winning battles against nonbelievers during Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month on the Islamic calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon. Observance this year started Tuesday across much of the Middle East, following the announcement by religious officials that the new crescent moon had been sighted Monday night. Saturday’s blasts in Bali came as Indonesia – the world’s most-populous Muslim nation – was preparing to celebrate Ramadan, which begins there on Wednesday. Muslims believe God began to reveal the Koran, the Islamic holy book, to Muhammad more than 1,400 years ago during Ramadan. Muslims are expected to abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk in order to focus on the spiritual. Muslims spend long periods in mosques and attempt to read the entire Koran during the month. It is believed that during Ramadan, good deeds are rewarded 10 times. But, in countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Ramadan is also a month of festivities, large after-dark meals and endless TV specials. Cafes and special Ramadan tents stay packed until dawn and traffic jams snarl streets late into the night. In Lebanon, Ramadan comes at a time of high tension as a UN-mandated probe into former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination nears its end. The Lebanese fear the continuation of a series of bombings that have rattled the country since Hariri was killed. Nevertheless, the bustling sidewalk cafes, restaurants and shops in downtown Beirut are jammed these days with local residents and tourists from other Middle Eastern countries who come to dine, smoke water pipes or just stroll through the district. The countries that announced Tuesday as the beginning of the fast were: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Oman was an exception. Its Islamic clerics told Omanis to start fasting Wednesday after they failed to see the moon on Monday night.
BPI-info
BPI-info
