(RNS) When the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan begins later this week, some Muslims around the world will face bigger challenges than others. The Quran is clear that the fast should last from before dawn to after dusk, but says nothing about how many hours that might be. Since Islam has spread from its Arabian…
July 15, 2014 NEW HAVEN. The violent actions on display between Israelis and Palestinians is a sight Rabbi Herbert Brockman doesn’t like viewing or listening to. But instead of hearing about casualties, Brockman, spiritual leader of Congregation Mishkan Israel of Hamden, doesn’t want to stand by. At sundown Tuesday, Brockman and other members of the…
July 10, 2014 (RNS) Muslim tradition calls for breaking the Ramadan fast in the evening with a date and a sip of water, and increasingly these days, the company of Jews. Muslim-Jewish iftars are popping up across the nation, bringing together dozens and sometimes hundreds of people for a celebratory Ramadan meal and a chance to forge interfaith…
July 8, 2014 Minister of the Interior Bernard Cazeneuve recently spoke at a meal breaking the fast during the month of Ramadan. “The French government will demonstrate a complete steadfastness toward those who attack your community,” he affirmed in a speech before several Arab diplomats and religious leaders, including the ambassadors to Algeria and France….
June 30, 2014 More than 1.7 million Muslims living in Spain have started Sunday, the Ramadan. In this context, the Union of Islamic Communities in Spain (UCIDE) calls on employers to provide, where possible, its practitioners workers to fulfill this task. “We appeal to the generosity, good practice and good expertise of public and private…
