(VOVworld) – About 1.6 billion Muslims around the world, about 22% of the world’s population, observe the holy month of Ramadan, a time of intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting, and good deeds. Many peace initiatives have been raised in war zones in the month of Ramadan.

Indonesian Muslims begin Ramadan

Ramadan runs from June 6 to July 5. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the 5 pillars of Islam, which defined in Sharia law. Scholars say Ramadan month in the Islamic calendar is when Allah revealed his teachings of the Quran to Muslims.  

Each day for the month of Ramadan, Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset, except for pregnant women, children, and people who have to do hard work.  They are supposed to avoid bad behavior such as lying, getting angry, or mistreating others. The aim is to make Muslims sympathize with people who don’t have enough food or clothing or who are suffering from other miseries.

To ensure a good month of Ramadan, the government of Indonesia, which has the largest Muslim population of all the countries in the world, has controlled prices of essential foods. It has asked entertainment centers and night clubs to temporarily close or limit their activities to ensure the solemnity of the month of Ramadan. In Egypt the stock exchange shortened trading hours by 1 hour.  

Many Islamic families affected by the fighting in Iraq and Syria have said they will not fasting because of their harsh living conditions. In Falluja, Iraq, people are suffering from of water, food, and medicine. In Damacus, Syria, economic difficulties caused by the prolonged war have greatly affected the month of Ramadan.

On June 1 the opposition in Syria proposed to the UN Security Council that a truce be imposed in Syria throughout the month of Ramadan.

President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, signed an amnesty for 1,000 prisoners just before Ramadan. Factions in Yemen agreed in May to exchange prisoners.

In defiance of the spirit of Ramadan, an audio message purportedly released by Islamic State spokesman Abu Muhammad al Adnani called on IS supporters to attack the US and the EU during Ramadan.