Muslim Statistics (Rituals and Festivals)
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Ramadan and Eid
Worldwide
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The study, which used census data from the US, Iraq and Uganda, also discovered long-term effects on the adult’s health and his or her future economic success.
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Dr. Ibrahim Abu-Salameh, Israel’s only Beduin neurologist – who works at Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba – headed a team that found migraine attacks are three times more common during the Muslim fast than in the rest of the year.
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Arab World
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The figures are included in a survey carried out by Cairòs Institute of Social Sciences of the Arab World which was printed today by 'Leaders', a Tunisian website.[3]
Egypt
The NCSCR study observes that during this month Egyptians spend 66.5 per cent more on meat and poultry, 63 per cent more on sweets, and 25 per cent more on nuts and nibbles, and they host 23 per cent more banquets and dinner parties. The study further notes that at least 60 per cent of food on an average Egyptian family table, and more than 75 per cent of food in a banquet, goes to waste, which is to say tossed into the rubbish bin, during this month.
According to statistics from the National Census Centre, in the first week of Ramadan Egyptians consume 2.3 billion loaves of bread, 10,000 tonnes of fuul, 40 million chickens, 200 per cent more yoghurt and ghee, and some LE9 million worth of dried fruits, which accounts for 35 per cent of the annual trade in this festive staple. Across Egypt's 28 governorates, the National Natural Gas Authority has to pump out 20 per cent more natural gas, and the same applies to water. In addition, the peak hours for electricity consumption rise to between four and five hours, up from two to three hours per night the rest of the year. Much of this can be chalked up to Ramadan lighting decorations and, specifically, illegal taps into the grid in order to feed the decorations hoisted up in alleyways or even large squares.
Then there are the medical studies that indicate that the general state of public health declines during this month. In spite of the fact that there are only two meals a night during Ramadan, the Iftar at sunset and the Sohour before sunrise, medical authorities report higher rates of diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses due to overindulgence in fats and sweets. Some medical statistics also point to an increased consumption of over- the-counter medications related to digestive disorders, from stomach ulcers to colitis.
If the above facts and figures tell us anything it is that over-consumption during Ramadan drains the family budget, strains the national economy (due to the rise in food imports, particularly of dried fruits and nuts from Turkey, Syria and India), depletes Egyptians' savings and ruins their health. To compound matters, Ramadan, this year, coincides with the beginning of school, putting an additional strain on the Egyptian family budget, especially that of limited income families. Many of these are certain to find themselves encumbered by debt after the month draws to a close, largely due to careless spending.[4]During Ramadan last year in Egypt, a church was burned to the ground. At least 155 Egyptian Christians were arrested for not participating in Ramadan. Last September, Rody Rodeheaver with I.N. Network explained that Ramadan "is a time when Muslims who are moderate often become much more aggressive about their faith, and they [see it] as a time to be aggressive as they deal with Christians." Rodeheaver also noted that many people are somewhat psychologically distraught by a lack of food since Muslims are required to fast during Ramadan.
This year, with tension rising after Muslim attacks on Christians in Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan and other nations just before Ramadan, prospects don't look much better. The potential for a swell in persecution in the next 28 days is high.
Ramadan--August 11 to September--is especially daunting for Muslim converts to Christianity.[5]France
Iran
Iraq
The violence, the worst in more than three weeks, hit 15 cities across the country and left 270 people wounded on Thursday, just days before the Eid festival that is set to begin on Sunday.
The attacks brought the number of dead nationwide over the course of Ramadan, which began on July 18, to 404, according to an AFP tally. There has been at least one bombing or shooting on every day of the holy month but one.
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On Monday, British security firm AKE Group warned that “terrorists in Iraq may be planning mass casualty explosive attacks against large gatherings of civilians to mark the end of Ramadan later this week”.
“We haven’t received any specific intelligence on the matter but they (insurgents) may be ‘saving up’ their willing bombers for the closing period of the month, due around 17-18 August,” AKE analyst John Drake said.
Official figures put the number of people killed in attacks in July at 325, the highest monthly death toll since August 2010.[9]Indonesia
Malaysia
Deputy director Dr Wan Mansor Hamzah said it had found e.coli, coliform, staphylococcus and bacillus in kuih and other food samples taken from bazaars when it began monitoring them at the start of Ramadan.
He said the contamination had reached a level that could trigger food poisoning.
“The contamination is a sign of food handlers’ poor personal hygiene,” he said yesterday It was reported that 15 food poisoning cases, involving 550 people, had been reported nationwide since the start of Ramadan.
Dr Wan Mansor said the bacteria could be transferred to food through dirty cooking utensils and unhygienic surroundings where the food was prepared and sold.[11]Morocco
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In this post-Ramadan period, the psychiatrists witness a resurgence of illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorders such as manic-depression or even epilepsy.
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Qatar
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Doctors said the excessive eating of fat mutton and the tendency to eat fast cause indigestion and stomach upsets.
People began pouring into the emergency unit from early Sunday afternoon with most of them complaining of stomach ailments and their number rose significantly on Monday.
On Sunday, the cardiac care division at the emergency unit treated seven cases until 6pm and one of the patients died, the daily said.
On Monday, the number of cases involving heart problems increased and 31 patients complained of chest pain but none of them died.[13]The Doha hospital was in a state of emergency last year when 100 patients were admitted in the first night of Ramadan; most of them suffering from abdominal pain, dehydration or kidney problems, according to the website.
In 2011, the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)’s emergency department recorded 7,700 of Ramadan-linked cases of illness, the report said[15]Saudi Arabia
Marriage consultant Muhammad Al-Ahmadi told Arab News there were various other reasons for divorce, the most important of which of course was the financial circumstances of the couple.
"Differences leading to divorce can easily happen over petty things, such as visits to relatives, travel during the Eid holidays, the type of food served on the occasion and whether to let children to go out to play," he said.
There have been some comical stories about Eid divorces. A local newspaper reported that a man divorced his two wives because they insisted that he buy them new clothes for the occasion. It reported another man divorced his wife because she refused to go with him to visit his sister and insisted on going to her mother instead.
However, a survey of couples conducted by Al-Mawadah Center for Family Consultancy did not entirely blame Eid expenses for family breakdowns. According to the survey, half of respondents did not believe that differences over Eid expenses were the main cause for divorce.
About 63 percent did not believe that Eid was an occasion to further strengthen family ties while 37 percent did.
A third approved of marriages during Eid, while 27 percent did not.
A recent report released by the Ministry of Justice said there were 9,233 divorces in Saudi Arabia in 2010. It revealed Makkah region topped all other regions with 2,518 divorce cases (27 percent of total divorces). The Eastern Province was second with 1,970 divorces and Madinah province occupied third place with 1,198 divorces.[16]Tunisia
This increase involves:
- Milk, rising to 2 liters of monthly consumption during the month of Ramadan against 0. 9 liters per person throughout the year
- Yoghurt pots went up to 12.9 per person, against 5.4 pots monthly during the rest of the year.
- Eggs are consumed at 26 per person, against 12.8 eggs per month in normal times
- Roll (baguette) 1.4 kg against 0.6 kg per month in normal times
- Oil, 1.2 liter, against 1.14 liters per month in normal times
- Meat: 1.1 kg of mutton, against 0.75 kg outside Ramadan, 0.5 kg of beef per month against 0.22 kg and 1.8 kg of poultry against 1.28 kg per month.[17]United Arab Emirates
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Rumaithi urged public to co-operate with police to report beggars. Children was victims of begging. Adults exploit them for their greed and spoil their future, he added.
About 65 beggars have been arrested so far this year. Between July 17 and 24 police arrested 28 beggars including four women.[18]About 200 of these occurred shortly before iftar. It is not known how many resulted in casualties or how many traffic accidents occured during Ramadan in previous years. Yesterday, one person was killed and fourteen injured
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There is often an increase in accidents during the Holy Month, said Brig Omar Al Shamsi, the director of the command and control centre at Dubai Police.
“Driving at a high speed and recklessly, especially before iftar, coupled with no lane discipline and not keeping a safe distance” all played a part, he said.
Last year 14 people died in Dubai road accidents during Ramadan, compared with only four the previous month.[19]Yemen
"I think during Ramadan prices rise and there is a lapse of security along the borders," Coordinator of Child Parliament Om Khalthoum said.
Almost 1,500 Yemeni children were saved by child protection centers from exploitation, abuse and deprivation that come at the hands of their traffickers or smugglers, according to Naseem Ur-Rahman of UNICEF. Yemeni children, primarily boys, are trafficked into Saudi Arabia for exploitation as beggars, street vendors and unskilled laborers.
While there are no statistics that determine how many children are trafficked on an annual basis, authorities do know that during the month of Ramadan the numbers rise. "One of the main problems is that there is a lack of reliable data," Ur-Rahman said.
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There is also a need for a legal description of children trafficking specifically for sex, begging or any other action that assists or encourages children to escape from their houses to practice prostitution or any other immoral actions. Occasionally children are even maimed or crippled in order to ensure success in begging.
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Despite making great strides in recent years, the government of Yemen does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. Even with their latest significant efforts, the Yemeni government did not show evidence of progress in prosecuting and punishing trafficking offenders or in preventing sex trafficking over the last year, according to the US State Department Trafficking in Persons Report for 2009.
Animal Sacrifice and Pilgrimages
Worldwide
France
Indonesia
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He added that even if producers only used halal beef to make bakso, a popular meatball soup, the end products could still be haram as production tools used might have also been used to process pork.[23]
Netherlands
Note that the Netherlands Muslim population numbers only a little over a million
Nigeria
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The president said last year 800 cows were slaughtered.[25]
Pakistan
Of the 7.5 million animals, 2.5 million are larger animals (mostly cows) and on average cost Rs. 75,000; while there are 5 million smaller animals (mostly goats) which on average cost Rs. 16,000.[26]
Saudi Arabia
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The IDB president pointed out that the project has enabled pilgrims to perform this rite with great ease and thus focus on other Haj rites.
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The latest group of people to be apprehended included 1,300 non-Saudi would-be pilgrims travelling on 26 buses coming from the capital Riyadh and Al Ahsa in eastern Saudi Arabia, the passport directorate said.
Investigations revealed that each of the would-be pilgrims paid SR3,500 to a fake agency, believed to be based in Jeddah, to sign up and perform the pilgrimage.[30]The drivers of those vehicles have been arrested, while 61 cases of licence forgery have been found, Commander of Passport Forces for Hajj, Brigadier Ayedh Al Harbi, told the agency.[31]
Deputy chairman of the livestock committee of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) Fahd Al-Sulami told Saudi Gazette that the pilgrims consume about one million of these animals while the citizens and expatriates consume the other 2.2 million.
He said about 75 percent of the animals to be slaughtered during the Eid Al-Adha this year have been imported from outside while 25 percent of them have been raised locally by animal breeders.[32]United Kingdom
United States
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Children, especially boys were very excited about watching the animals being slaughtered.[34]
References
- ↑ Ramadan fast not recommended during pregnancy - The Times of India, June 25, 2010
- ↑ Judy Siegel-Itzkovich - Beduin doctor: Migraines common during Ramadan fast - The Jerusalem Post, August 9, 2010
- ↑ Ramadan: Productivity of Arab Businesses Drops by 78% - ANSAmed, September 3, 2009 (original URL)
- ↑ Abdel-Moneim Said - Wasting Ramadan - Al-Ahram Weekly, September 3, 2009
- ↑ Ramadan a time of fasting and...persecution? - Mission Network News, August 13, 2010
- ↑ Sarah El Deeb - Alarming assaults on women in Egypt's Tahrir - Associated Press, June 6, 2012
- ↑ Ramadan: 71% French Muslims observe rules, number rising - ANSAmed, August 2, 2011
- ↑ Iran-Daily.com (pdf) - October 1, 2006
- ↑ Attacks overshadow Eid preparations
Khaleej Times (AFP), August 17, 2012 - ↑ David - Ramadan Crime - Indonesia Matters, October 20, 2006
- ↑ Nik Imran Abdullah, Elvina Fernandez and Atiqa Hazellah - 40pc of Kelantan bazaar food contaminated - New Straits Times, August 17, 2011
- ↑ Hanane Jazouani - Maroc : Après ramadan, les maladies mentales augmentent - Yabiladi (French), August 28, 2012 (English translation)
- ↑ Habib Toumi - More than 1,300 Qataris hospitalised for over eating over Eid Al Adha - Gulf News, November 8, 2011
- ↑ Qatar: surge in diabetes/obesity, unhealthy Arab habits - ANSAmed, March 13, 2012
- ↑ "Dozens hospitalized in Qatar after overeating during Ramadan", Al Arabiya, July 11, 2013, http://english.alarabiya.net/en/special-reports/ramadan-2013/2013/07/11/Dozens-hospitalized-in-Qatar-after-overeating-during-Ramadan-.html.
- ↑ MD Humaidan, "Divorces spike during summer break, Eid holiday", Arab News, September 7, 2011 (archived), http://www.arabnews.com/node/390220?quicktabs_stat2=1.
- ↑ "Tunisia: dizzying increase in consumption in Ramadan (INC)", African Manager, July 15, 2013 (archived), http://www.africanmanager.com/site_eng/detail_article.php?art_id=20518.
- ↑ Male beggar dressed in hijab arrested in Dubai - Emirates 24/7, July 31, 2012
- ↑ Wafa Issa - Peril of 'Ramadan rush hour' as Dubai police report 1,000s of smashes - The National, July 29, 2012
- ↑ Salma Ismail - Yemen child trafficking to increase in Ramadan - Yemen Times, August 20, 2009
- ↑ "Eid ul-Adha/ Traditions and practices", Wikipedia, accessed October 18, 2013 (archived), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_ul-Adha#Traditions_and_practices.
- ↑ Ellen Knickmeyer, "As Virus Spreads, Saudi Arabia Restricts Pilgrimage Numbers", Wall Street Journal, June 26, 2013 (archived), http://blogs.wsj.com/middleeast/2013/06/26/as-virus-spreads-saudi-arabia-restricts-pilgrimage-numbers/.
- ↑ Dessy Sagita - Less Than 1% of Bakso in Indonesia is Halal Certified: MUI - JakartaGlobe, December 19, 2012
- ↑ Netherland Muslims slaughtered 100,000 animals for Eid ul-Adha - Ahlul Bayt News, November 21, 2010
- ↑ David Oreofero - School slaughters 1,000 cows for charity - The Nation, November 8, 2011
- ↑ "Bakra Eid: The cost of sacrifice", Travel Wire Asia, November 16, 2010 (archived), http://www.travelwireasia.com/2010/11/bakra-eid-the-cost-of-sacrifice/.
- ↑ Muslims to Sacrifice 710,000 animals - NNN-APP, December 26, 2006
- ↑ 1,800 nabbed for thefts in Ramadan - Arab News, September 9, 2011
- ↑ Nigeria Hajj row over unescorted women – BBC News, September 28, 2012
- ↑ Habib Toumi - 44,673 arrested for fake Haj permits - Gulf News, October 23, 2012
- ↑ Over 70,000 illegal pilgrims denied entry to Mecca - ANI, October 24, 2012
- ↑ "Livestock market replete with sheep and cattle for Adahi", Saudi Gazette, October 15, 2013 (archived), http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20131015183689.
- ↑ Nick Collins - Religious butchering now commonplace in Britain, leading vet claims - The Telegraph, May 4, 2012
- ↑ Sameen Tahir-Khan, "Celebrating Eid Al-Adha in the US", Arab News, October 18, 2013 (archived), http://www.arabnews.com/news/468058.