All over the world at present, Muslims are observing the holy month of Ramadan. For teachers in New Zealand and other western countries this means tired and often absent students, and occasionally objections to playing music in the classroom. The holy month here in Oman completely changes everything.
Ramadan is a time when Muslims contemplate their behaviour, their relationship with God and with the rest of their community. They abstain from food, water, cigarettes and sex (and ideally negative thoughts and behaviour) during daylight hours. This is to appreciate the position of those who have nothing in life and puts the richest person on the same footing as the poorest (at least from dawn to dusk). Charity is also encouraged during the holy month.
The most important thing to remember is that during Ramadan here it is illegal to eat or drink in public during the daylight hours. Non-muslims are not required to fast, but they can only consume behind closed doors. This means that all restaurants are closed during the day, and that, even in 40 degree heat, you cannot take a swig of water in public. Imagine being arrested for drinking water!!
At around 6:30pm the call echoes around the neighbourhood for the Maghreb prayer and the fast is broken (Iftar). Usually the call only comes from the local mosque, but I’m sure that I’ve heard regular people making the call themselves with a loud-speaker here in Rustaq.
Another aspect of life during Ramadan is that shops and businesses have very irregular hours. The college where I work has shortened the day from eight hours to six, finishing at 2 o’clock instead of 4. However, every place has different hours. At the biggest supermarket in town, most of it is closed only from 6:30 to 8:30pm (just for Iftar) but the appliance section closes at 1:30, then reopens at 8pm. So everything is already difficult to get done, but tired and hungry workers make things even tougher. Getting anything achieved at the police station (where you get issued a national ID card and driver’s licence) is a battle of the wills.
Although for non-Muslims it is difficult and inconvenient, there are some nice moments too. A few weeks ago a taxi-driver took myself and some others on a detour to visit a tourist site, waited while we took photos and looked around, then dropped us back home and refused to take any payment for it. Ramadan Kareem (“A generous Ramadan”).
