Not attacking, not hating, just a few questions that I´ve got during the many years I am a teacher with 60% Muslim students now:

1. Diabetics do not HAVE to fast, but I know several who do. Partly out of ignorance, they simply don´t believe what the (Western!) doctor says, partly because of ´social pressure´ - everyone around them fasts so they say they feel like ´outcasts´ if they don´t. Why this pressure, why this not believing the doctor?

2. Children are forced (!!) by their parents to fast. I have at least 3 students with young children who have to fast, girls from the age of 9 and boys from 14. Children at that age have not matured, it can´t be healthy for them. Besides, is force allowed? I bet not.

3. I´ve been told that fasting should be like a sacrifice, feeling what less fortunate people have all life for just 28/29 days a year. Half of my Muslim students take a holiday, are not working, not going to school during Ramazan because ´it is too hard to do´. What sacrifice? What compassion?

4. A few (happily a minority) of my students refuse to come to school because we have coffee/tea breaks during 3 hour class and they expect all of us to give that up because they are fasting. (All of us = Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Agnost and Atheist students/teachers).

I´m not making this up, this is what has happened/happens each year. Anyone who can explain?

DD - you are far too sensible to be a member of this site!!  (I am sure theH will be agreeing with me)

Hwhat? Sensible? Moi?

Ahm, ok, I´ll add some silly emoticons in order to prove my lack of common sense

see? The above is not sensible at all

OK - you can lurk in the disguise of ´unsensibility´  

(NB English learners - there is really no such word as ´unsensibility´ )

Quoting lady in red

 (Please Alameda, Canlý and QueenT etc. - no long posts explaining the true meaning of Ramadan/Ramazan to me - I am not disrespecting Muslims, Islam or Ramazan - just voicing my opinion)

 

 

 Ummm....Excuse me???? Now is that prejudice or what? I have made one 16 word comment in this thread...............and it was only in response to Deli´s comment about attempting to fast. 

I have NEVER attempted to explain the "true" meaning of anything here....much less Ramazan.  I have only attempted to focus a ray of light on some aspects of truth, as I understand it.

Oh OK - sorry (she says entering into the Ramadan spirit of thinking nice thoughts) 

I personally feel much closer to Allah this ramadan because i am fasting. and when i am fasting i feel quite peaceful, i never swear, i try not to be angry, i try not break heart, i pray 5 times a  day, i read quran every day, i help poor people etc.. if you think fasting is just to stay hungry all day, it is ignorance of you. maybe it would be better to search about what Prophet Muhammed says about fasting what it should be like. maybe then you would understand its spirit.and i just dont understand why some non-muslim members of this site are so indisposed with fasting.  just let people do it.  just a bit respect would be nice of you. To criticize religions about anything doesnt make you look more intelligent we are happy with that. and also i have been fasting every ramadan since i was 11 years old and i have never felt ill because of it.

How many muslims who are fasting thinks on poor people or pray to Allah? Ým living in Turkey from some years but i heard only : ´im fasting, i feel very week, is so hard, what is the time...there are xx hours left..´ and so on.

I know I couldn´t remain peaceful if I fasted - there would be plenty of swering and grumpiness, that´s for sure.

What I resent is your statement that criticizing religion about anything doesn´t make people look intelligent. I think it´s far more intelligent to question and criticize everything, including religion (why should religion be immune to it?) than to accept everything without questioning its merit and truthfullness  - that to me seems like being brainwashed. I can respect people´s decision and practice to fast, but don´t ask me to respect the idea of fasting itself if I have a different opinion (which I really don´t, I couldn´t care less, not my stomach).

 In Islam , only the healthy can  fast. Babies, the old, women menstruating, and the sick are not asked to fast. You´´re only supposed to fast if you can. They dont force people with diabetes or any sickness or weakness to fast.

 why is it that islam keeps on treating menstruating women as if they were sick?  can you update your books and learn that menstruation is a NORMAL physiological process? kind of similar to urinating when your bladder is full.. maybe some muslims need a bit of enlightement this ramadan.