Last Sunday, as we were preparing for Ramadan, I opened a Norwegian newspaper on the Internet and found an article about the holy month. Not so strange, you may say, but then the article was written by a ‘standard Norwegian’, Aksel Braanen Sterri, a social science columnist and non-fiction writer. He is not religious, he says, and he doesn’t even agree with what is usually said, that most Norwegians are ‘culturally Christian’, and a few active church-goers and less than three-quarters say they ‘believe in a god’. Yet, the writer had come to think of Ramadan, and had realised that the cultural, social, spiritual and religious traditions connected to the holy month can indeed be valuable to people in our time, yes, perhaps especially in our time when we often live very busy, competitive and stressful lives, and we have less time for each other and for faith than before.
Was the secularist searching for personal faith, without knowing it, or without wanting to admit it? And was he rethinking what he had earlier written, that religion is a negative force in society? I think he might be re-visiting both positions, although in his article in ‘Dagbladet’ for 6 June 2016, he says he isn’t.
But if Aksel is just an observer, trying to understand another religion’s traditions, he was good at it. He was paying respect to the two-three percent Muslims in Norway, and some fifteen percent in the capital Oslo, and even the one and half to two million worldwide. Most of the Norwegian Muslims are from immigrant backgrounds, including a good number from Pakistan.
I was glad I had come across Aksel’s article, and I was proud of my open-minded countryman’s ability to see and appreciate unfamiliar traditions in a religion which is only a couple of generations old in Norway – from a self-proclaimed non-believer who generally doesn’t think religion in society is good.
In spite of all this, Aksel realises that many people disagree with him, and what they believe is indeed often good for them, their communities and societies.
He simply says: “We should all take part in Ramadan. Non-religious Norwegians can learn from the Muslims’ annual period of fasting.”
He underlines that Ramadan is meant to be a time of renewal and reflection, so we can become better versions of ourselves, as he puts it. He stresses the importance of refraining from many of the material things we take for granted and feel we must have; we should try to improve our behaviour, be less greedy and self-centred, rise above jealousy, be more patient and develop self-restraint. In addition to the ‘inner journey’, he also writes about the importance of our responsibility at the wider social levels, that we should learn to show more solidarity and care for the poor and needy.
These things are valuable for all human beings, and they don’t have much to do with faith. This is Aksel Braaen Sterri’s point; that non-Muslims, including Christians, can learn from the Muslims’ tradition of fasting. He adds, too, that it is, or has been, a tradition in Christianity, but has lost its all-inclusiveness (outside the Orthodox Eastern Church). True, not all Muslims fast either, but they are still part of the focus on fasting and indeed also at the common evening meal of Iftar, when family and friends come together. Fasting gives a feeling of being in the same boat, that all human beings, all classes and creeds, are alike and share the same struggles in life.
But then we can – and should – go beyond Aksel Braaen Sterri’s secular thinking about Ramadan, to include the spiritual and religious aspects, too. Muslims (and Christians) would say that Ramadan loses much of its meaning, and its foundation, it we don’t do that. Yet, we can probably also admit that even for the earnest and strong believers, the religious aspects are again only one part of the holy month, the same way as other religious events for Muslims – and Christmas, Easters and Pentecost for Christians.
In my religion, Christianity, we often criticise the new ways that religious events are celebrated, indeed with commercial aspects. In Islam, too, there are many commercial and other aspects as part of the feasts, including the celebration of the month of Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr. I am not worried about commercialisation of religious events; I think that all those ‘other things’ are needed. If we limit ourselves to strict religious content and activities, they would not be the broad events that they are now, and for Ramadan, stopping much of the order of everyday life for a whole month, plus a week or two for preparations before Ramadan, and almost the same for Eid, with everyone going to hometowns, and so on. It is similar for Christmas, when there are many nonreligious and semi-religious activities, with parties and special food dishes, gifts and so on. Such things, too, form part of it all; they are probably even necessary so that children can be socialised into the traditions of the religious events.
In addition, we must find time to the religious content with prayers, good deeds and right thoughts. The fasting during Ramadan makes us focus more on the religious aspects. To fast is a sacrifice and it requires self-discipline and reflection on the religious content, in a peaceful and friendly time.
In our modern time, we should note that the actual fasting, refraining from food and drink from dawn to dusk, is not for ‘your neighbour’ to be bothered about; it is between God and the individual. And I would say that the spiritual part is far more important than the concrete aspects. However, in it is one of the five pillars of Islam, being obligatory for adult Muslims, with several exceptions.
Coming from a country where there is midnight sun, and Ramadan is now in summer in the northern hemisphere, I am glad that a Fatwa has been issued advising Muslims to follow the timings of Mecca.
As in all religions, old traditions are important, as well as new and more or less fancy ways of celebrating age-old religious events; revival and renewal is the responsibility of every generation. We should also remember that often, many of the religious events we celebrate today, even fasting, were practiced before our religions came along; we have redefined content and integrated it in religions. Even fasting was discovered by our ancestors many thousands of years ago as important for spirit, soul, and mind.
Dear readers, the Muslim readers in particular, do you feel I am watering down the essential religious meaning of Ramadan? Perhaps, but I am also trying to see the universality of Ramadan, the value of many of its aspects to all human beings – as Aksel underlined in the article I referred to above. I would also emphasise ecumenical aspects, the cooperation and exchange between religions, indeed the three Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but also to go beyond the religions that emerged in the Middle-East and the Arab world.
Let me end my article by again referring to Aksel Braanen Sterri’s main point; that Ramadan has a universal value, and it has a positive message and role to all human beings. Sometimes, non-Muslims don’t understand what Ramadan is, maybe even Muslims don’t realise it, and they don’t take time to think about its importance for the individuals, groups and society. I have myself experienced that when I worked in East Africa; many foreigners and locals belonging to other religions would have negative opinions about Ramadan.
I believe that we can all easily see the positive aspects related to the holy month, if we want to see them. The actual fasting isn’t the most important; it is all the other religious, social and cultural aspects that make Ramadan so unique and important.
Dear readers, may I wish you all, Ramadan Kareem.