A couple of weeks has passed since Eid, the holiday ending Ramadan, the month of fasting in Islam. Since then I have been too busy to post anything on my blog, but here are some impressions from this special time for Muslims.
Our first meeting with Ramadan was a friendly advise from the staff in our office not to eat or drink in public before iftar, the break of the fast at sunset. I have been told that in some countries you go to jail if you eat in public during Ramadan. In Beit Sahour, however, Christians comprise around 70 per cent of the population. As the majority, I suppose they can do anything they like. Not eating in public therefore seems to me like a token of respect and solidarity, and a testimony of the good relationship that Muslims and Christians here claim to have with each other.
My second meeting with Ramadan was a cake surprisingly similar to the Norwegian "svele" made on the street in Bethlehem, as you can see in the picture. I was later served such cakes, filled with cheese and nuts, by Christian Palestinian friends, who told me that they are called katayif, and that everyone eats them for Ramadan.
My third meeting was a TV series called Bab el Hara (The Door of our Neighbourhood), that I watched with my landlords Ammad and Munira. A new season is sent every Ramadan, with one episode each evening. The series takes place in Damascus in Syria in the period between the two world wars. One of the themes apparently was the resistance against the French mandate powers. There were shootings as well as what looked like conspiracy among the women, with the midwife seemingly in a leading position. Ammad told me that in Bab el Hara, Damascus has been put under a blockade by the French, which has made the show especially popular in Gaza.
My fourth meeting with Ramadan was at a checkpoint between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Palestinians need a special permit in order to get to Jerusalem. For many the only chance is during the religious holidays, Ramadan for Muslims, and Christmas and Easter for Christians. This afternoon was one of the last days of Ramadan, and also the day before the beginning of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana. The last days of Ramadan are especially important, both the last Friday of Ramadan and Laylat al-Qadr, the night when Muhammad is believed to have received the first verses of the Quran, and so many Muslims want to spend these days in Jerusalem, which is the third holiest city in Islam. Israeli authorities had, however, decided that during Rosh Hashana only men over 50 and women over 45 were allowed in. This went only for the Palestinians. Foreigners could pass through without regard of their age. This confuses me. If there were going to be soldiers on the checkpoint anyway, why couldn`t they let through everyone? This afternoon the checkpoint closed at 5 PM, just as we were walking through from Jerusalem to the West Bank. Lines of upset and dissapointed Palestinians were standing on the other side. One woman was crying. They had waited in vain.
My fourth meeting with Ramadan was my first meeting with Rosh Hashana. I`ve studied Jewish religious holidays. They seem so full of joy and beauty, and I`m sure in Jerusalem Rosh Hashana is. It was sad to see it being used in this way.
You can read about the checkpoints during Rosh Hashana here: IMEU
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