Well, it’s here!\u00a0 My first Ramadan in the Gulf.\u00a0 In case you’re not sure what it is, Ramadan is the Islamic month of fasting from sunrise to sunset (more information below).<\/p>\n
I’m actually pretty excited, but I really don’t know what to expect.\u00a0 I’ve heard stories on the extremes from different people.\u00a0 As a Westerner here in the Gulf, Ramadan can be very imposing on your normal life.\u00a0 You cannot eat, drink, or smoke in public during daylight hours.\u00a0 Also, things will tend to move a lot slower, since working hours are cut back.<\/p>\n
Depending on your attitude, though, it can be quite an experience.\u00a0 Personally, I’m excited to be living here, because I think Ramadan will be the a great experience of Islamic culture that I have not seen before.<\/p>\n
Here is some information from a recent US Embassy message that will give you some insight about life here during the next month:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Muslims are required to fast from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan.\u00a0 As such, it is illegal in Qatar to eat, drink (even water), or smoke in public during fasting hours, i.e., approximately 5:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.\u00a0 Approximate times for sunrise and sunset will be announced in local newspapers.\u00a0 If Muslims are present in the work place, they expect non-Muslims to respect their fasting and not eat, drink, or smoke in front of them, even in motor vehicles, or to prepare food that they can smell or see.\u00a0 As it is illegal to serve food or drink during fasting hours, restaurants will be closed during daylight hours, with the exception of a few hotel restaurants that serve non-Muslims only.\u00a0 Restaurants will begin serving food at sundown, but expect them to be crowded, especially during Iftar, the first meal immediately after sunset.\u00a0 If you are in a hotel, and they do not serve a meal at a time you require, you will find that room service is normally available or the dining room will have an isolated area where non-Muslims are served.<\/p>\n
\u2022 While modest dress and respectful behavior between the sexes (even between married couples) are normal social customs in Qatar, this is particularly so during Ramadan.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Shops and markets are open in the morning, often closed in the afternoon, but open again for a few hours after sunset.\u00a0 Shops and stores will have extended hours into the late evening and early morning to accommodate Ramadan hours of operation.<\/p>\n
\u2022 If possible, please avoid driving in the hour immediately before sunset.\u00a0 One should be extra alert at this time, as many Muslims will be rushing to family member\u2019s or friend\u2019s home or a restaurant to break their fast.\u00a0 Many accidents occur at this time, some very serious.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Well, it’s here!\u00a0 My first Ramadan in the Gulf.\u00a0 In case you’re not sure what it is, Ramadan is the Islamic month of fasting from sunrise to sunset (more information below). I’m actually pretty excited, but I really don’t know what to expect.\u00a0 I’ve heard stories on the extremes from different people.\u00a0 As a Westerner […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.totheeast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.totheeast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.totheeast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.totheeast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.totheeast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.totheeast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.totheeast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.totheeast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.totheeast.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}