Blog Posts tagged with "Ramadan"
Ramadan Mubarak!
Today, on August 1, our Muslim friends and colleagues around the world will begin observing the month of Ramadan, a special month in the Islamic calendar. In the Islamic tradition, Ramadan is the month when the first verses of the Qur’an, the Muslim holy book, were revealed. During this month, Muslims abstain from food, water and intimate relations from dawn to sunset in order to focus on their spirituality, prayers and religious practice.
Just as Christmas and New Year’s tend to slow down in pace in many places in the U.S. and Europe, Ramadan is a time when the Muslim world slows down its tempo to account for the loss in energy during the day due to fasting and the increased time spent on prayers and going to Mosque. Fasting is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith and it is important to be aware of how special a time this is for Muslims around us.
I like to recognize the start of Ramadan so that we can all be sensitive to our colleagues and friends who are fasting, making sure to keep this time of year in mind when planning events. This is particularly the case in places like Afghanistan, where our interactions with government counterparts must take into consideration the adjusted work hours.
Our commanders in the field who are leading the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan are aware of the special circumstances during this time. Troops who will be fasting may be physically weaker because they are abstaining from food and drink during the day. At sunset, troops will want to take time to have "iftar", the dinner that marks the break of a day of fasting, and take time for prayers. We also have many troops in the NATO Alliance, and others who are from nations contributing troops to Afghanistan, who will be observing Ramadan.
To our Muslim friends, Ramadan Mubarak, or Happy Ramadan. Through mutual respect and understanding, our partnership and joint efforts will grow and become stronger!
Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
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In Recognition of Ramadan
You may be wondering why the EUCOM commander is taking the time to talk about the significance of Ramadan. I am a firm believer in learning as much as we can about the peoples that we work with and their cultures. It helps us understand each other better and it also brings to our attention key events that we should keep in mind when planning our operations.
Comments: 2
Ramadhan Mubarak Sir, May the peace and blessings of God be upon you. May He help us to benefit from this season of virtues and blessings and may He grant us His love, mercy and forgiveness now and forever.
Very useful blog. Keep up the good work.