Muslims and Muslim-majority nations across the globe marked the start of the holy month of Ramadan on Monday because the shadow of a lethal battle nonetheless loomed over Gaza.
The king of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud used the event to name for an finish to the “heinous crimes” happening within the war-torn Palestinian territory.
Saudi Arabia stated by way of its official SPA news company earlier Sunday that the Supreme Court had introduced “Monday, March 11, 2024, the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan for this year.”
Speaking as custodian of Islam’s two holiest websites, King Salman gave thanks in his Ramadan message Sunday night for the “blessings bestowed upon the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”, however famous the battle in Gaza would forged a shadow over the month of fasting and prayer.
“As we witness the arrival of Ramadan this year, our hearts are heavy with sorrow for the ongoing suffering of our Palestinian brothers facing relentless aggression,” he stated.
“We call upon the international community to uphold its responsibilities to put an end to these heinous crimes and ensure the establishment of safe humanitarian and relief corridors.”
Ramadan is likely one of the 5 pillars of Islam.
After the sighting of the crescent moon, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar additionally noticed Monday as the beginning of Ramadan by way of their very own official news shops.
Egypt’s Islamic advisory physique the Dar al-Ifta confirmed likewise, because it was within the Palestinian Territories together with Gaza, and in Algeria and Tunisia.
Their neighbors Morocco and Libya, nonetheless, stated Ramadan would begin on Tuesday.
Iran had earlier set the start of Ramadan for Tuesday after its “Estehlal” moon remark workplace stated it had not been doable to watch “the crescent of Ramadan.”
As he introduced Tuesday as the beginning of Ramadan in Jordan, the dominion’s Grand Mufti Ahmed Hasnat requested God to “relieve the anguish of our oppressed people in Gaza” and “lift affliction and aggression from them.”
Oman can even mark the primary day of Ramadan on Tuesday.
‘Completely completely different’
During Ramadan, observant Muslims chorus from consuming and ingesting from daybreak to nightfall and historically collect with household and associates to interrupt their quick within the night.
It can also be a time of prayer, when the trustworthy converge in giant numbers at mosques, particularly at night time.
Israel’s battle on the Gaza Strip has forged a protracted shadow over festivities within the area, with hopes dashed {that a} cease-fire settlement might be reached earlier than Ramadan started.
At a market in Rafah, the southern Gaza metropolis the place practically 1.5 million individuals have sought refuge, Palestinians on Sunday bemoaned meals shortages and wartime uncertainty hanging over the holy month.
“Of course, this Ramadan is completely different from all the Ramadans that have gone before it,” stated Bassel Yassin, an agricultural engineer.
Hassuna Tabib Hassnan, a dentist displaced from Gaza City within the north, stated he did not understand how the month would finish – “in our homes, in a tent, by the sea in the north or in the south.”
Hassnan added that as a substitute of spending Ramadan of their properties, “it is clear that we will live in displacement, pain and oppression.”
The battle was triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion on southern Israel that resulted in about 1,160 deaths, based on an AFP tally based mostly on official Israeli figures.
Israel’s battle, however, has killed not less than 31,045 Palestinians, principally ladies and youngsters, based on the Gazan Health Ministry.
The United Nations has warned that famine within the Palestinian territory is “almost inevitable” except one thing modifications within the battle, with support trickling in at ranges far beneath the pre-war norm.
U.S. President Joe Biden, chief of Israel’s most essential ally, additionally spoke of the struggling in Gaza in a message marking the beginning of the holy month.
“The sacred month is a time for reflection and renewal. This year, it comes at a moment of immense pain,” he stated.
“As Muslims gather around the world over the coming days and weeks to break their fast, the suffering of the Palestinian people will be front of mind for many. It is front of mind for me,” Biden added, vowing to step up support into the besieged territory.
Shopping at a Riyadh mall, Saudi authorities worker Faisal, who most well-liked to present solely his first identify due to the sensitivity of the matter, stated it was “the worst Ramadan I have ever experienced in my life.”
The man, in his fifties, added: “I feel ashamed as I shop for meat and chicken for my family, while the people of Gaza are in famine.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com