Days and nights and sleep/wake patterns, food, all of life and living is ordained by ramzan and the swooping overarching control of ‘in the name of islam.’ All cafés are closed during breakfast and lunch hours, opening only for iftar deals and then dinner. some serve sehri. As I don’t fast, since in the three days that i’ve been back, my appetite has become half of what it was. It’s been a very limiting, lonely foodie experience. I could say, I’ve been hungry ever since I stepped off that plane. In the land of the pure, tolerance has evaporated and dried like the summer rivers before the monsoon season begins; leaving behind a dull, cracked, muddied existence. Furthermore, public eating is not only frowned upon, but people are actually being arrested for eating/drinking/smoking in public for a violation of the Ehtram-e-Ramazan-Ordinance, (Respect for Ramazan Ordinance) which was introduced under the dictatorship of Zia ul Haq in 1981. The ordinance prohibits serving of food in public places and the consumption of food and drink in public places and directs authorities to take steps for maintaining the sanctity of Ramazan. 25 people have been arrested under violation of this law. According to the law, only those can be charged with violation of this law, who are obliged to fast. However, according to news reports, this is not always upheld.
What happens to the people who do not fast? cannot fast? do not want to fast? what happens to the people who are not muslims, but are Christians, Hindus, Parsis, Buddhists, atheists, non-practicing? why must they live under this fear and be oppressed daily for this month?
Also if according to what I was taught in school in islamiyat class about the spirit of ramazan, and what is constantly being reiterated on television and in sermons, which is that fasting is supposed to instill patience within people and build empathy for those who cannot afford three square meals a day and cannot complain of fatigue and exhaustion or starvation. By that logic, if we follow the practices of this month, we should ban people from eating or drinking or smoking in public spaces all year round, because there is bound to be someone who is willingly or unwillingly fasting. A new interpretation of austerity measures would be underway. I hate to state the obvious, but in this month, there is no work ethic, people open shops close to noon, and close up early. Offices give long extended prayer breaks; how can you stop a believer from the call to prayer? There is a general sense of solidarity in terms of being too exhausted to function. People who can afford to sleep in till the afternoon, waking up only to pray and wait for dusk to open their fast. On the other hand, the daily fear of living in an Islamic republic doubles or quadruples for religious minorities. Of course the recent brutal usage of the Blasphemy Laws don’t help matters at all. There has been an increase in Quran reading circles amongst the privileged classes, amongst women mostly. The informal reading sessions usually involve one person reading from the quran in arabic, and then explaining the surahs (passages) in urdu and in english. Women sit in attendance with their heads covered, their eyes bowed down over their own copies of the quran and nod and sigh. I attended one such session yesterday, to try and make some sense of the practice. I imagine that the homes that host such events must be selected based on the hosts’ religiosity, being located in a fairly central neighbourhood, and having ample space to seat all the ladies who attend. I’d forgotten how wealthy Pakistan could be. I sat close to the door, in a fairly well-sized room, with about 40 women, with covered heads, each holding their copy of the quran. The room was air-conditioned, the windows looked out on to a patio with some plants and garden furniture, and hid from sight, the chauffeurs standing about in the heat waiting for these women to come out. The entire 2 and a half hours consisted of one woman reading passages into a microphone and breaking down the arabic verses into easily accessible urdu and english. I love oral narratives and learning through stories, so a little part of me was almost excited. However, this was the most unreal depoliticized bizarre reading group ever. One, there was no room for discussion, so it was two hours of being talked at and read to. Two, the surahs being read and explicated held so much in them that could be teased out through a discussion framed by class analysis in contemporary Pakistan, there was one that specifically talked about food and servants, how servants have rights and access to food in the house and it should not be kept locked up. I thought of all the households i know where servants eat separately from the families they work for, how they often also are given different food, i.e. vegetables instead of meat, and food that is rationed out, and definitely do not have access to take out/home delivery food. I have heard stories where someone would weigh their employees right after they hired them and then weigh them as they left for vacation. I don’t really understand what that would achieve.
i remember from when i was younger, folks would have birthday parties during ramzan and have iftar birthday parties, i remember the gathering around the iftar table, laden with treats, and the waiting and the expectancy. i remember once how after iftar was announced on tv, and the echoes of azaan (call to prayer) would be heard from outside, putting food on my plate, and then looking around me and realizing that there were some folks who were still waiting; who were shia and were waiting for their fast (which was longer) to open. this really makes me think a lot about patience at this moment.
What does help?
repealing this legislature. Organizing Quran reading sessions with feminist interpretations, reading the contemporary eco-social landscape into the verses and trying to work out reality. asking questions about the culture of ramazan and the practices of Islam. perhaps addressing the ‘Ramadan vs. Ramazan’ debate in new ways. Over the last few years, there has been a marked change in how the month has been spelt, moving away from the Urdu transliteration of Ramzan to the Arabic transliteration of Ramadan. during the 80s, under Zia’s regime, news would be broadcast in Arabic and at airports and bus and train stations, announcements would be in Arabic (who even understood any of that?) that was rescinded after some time but it has left behind a legacy. Of swapping ‘Allah Hafiz’ in place of ‘Khuda Hafiz’ and this Ramadan/Ramazan affair. For those who insist that it is all the same, this is not indicative of any change, languages are hastened into extinction or irrelevance because of a need or desire to bring in words and phrases from other languages replacing words previously existing. I am interested in reading the Quran, with feminist interpretations and critiques. I’m looking at Asma Barlas right now, thanks to ci. I would love more suggestions/input and discussion.
