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Alright, so I've been working at my current job for 13 years, and for probably 8 of that I've worked with a guy named Mo (short for Mohammed). We've become very good friends. He's from Egypt, but he's been in the US since 1976. Prior to coming here, he backpacked around Europe after sneaking out of Egypt to get out of compulsory military service. He's married to a very Irish Catholic woman. He's not a practicing Muslim himself, closer to agnostic I would say. Now, even though he's not a practicing Muslim, he always half jokingly complains to me about how he has to celebrate Christmas and all these other Christian holidays, and no one ever recognizes his Islamic holidays. From what I can tell, Ramadan starts this year on June 5th, and ends on July 5th? I've looked up what it's all about, and I pretty much get it for the most part, but I was hoping to get some input from someone on the inside, so to speak. I'd like to get Mo some kind of gift, so he knows someone is recognizing his holiday, I think he'd really appreciate it. Sooo, I guess I'm looking for info about maybe traditional type things I could get him. Maybe try my hand at writing out a traditional greeting in a card, if there is one (like a Ramadan "Merry Christmas", I guess). Or when the best time to give the gift would be. I'd evn be willing to buy something directly from Egypt if there was some kind of suggestion there. Anyway, any info at all is appreciated. Help me goons. Also, I hope it isn't offensive relating Ramadan to a Christian holiday, it's just the only frame of reference I have.
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Apr 14, 2015 14:57
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| # ? Apr 16, 2024 09:14 |
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A Proper Uppercut posted:Alright, so I've been working at my current job for 13 years, and for probably 8 of that I've worked with a guy named Mo (short for Mohammed). We've become very good friends. Just make sure it has the prophet mohammed on the front, they love that dude.
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Apr 14, 2015 15:04
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A Proper Uppercut posted:Sooo, I guess I'm looking for info about maybe traditional type things I could get him. Maybe try my hand at writing out a traditional greeting in a card, if there is one (like a Ramadan "Merry Christmas", I guess). Or when the best time to give the gift would be. I'd evn be willing to buy something directly from Egypt if there was some kind of suggestion there.
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Apr 14, 2015 17:49
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Your muslim friends will not be eating, or getting laid, or jacking off, or smoking cigarettes What I'm saying is they will all be super irritable and you should look out for angry muzzies
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Apr 14, 2015 21:25
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tsa posted:Just make sure it has the prophet mohammed on the front, they love that dude.  Since he's not practicing this might actually be kinda funny. A football player I knew in high school was Muslim and the year I met him, Ramadan had fallen during summer football training. I couldn't understand how he didn't die. Hummingbirds fucked around with this message at 00:03 on Apr 16, 2015 |
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Apr 16, 2015 00:01
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Something sweet on Eid al-Fitr would be very appropriate, it's a day of feasting. If he has kids, small toys and candy (watch out for anything containing gelatin that isn't specifically labeled as vegetarian or beef derived) for them are traditional as well. If he's fasting, little gestures of acknowledgement are also appreciated. I work in home of a Muslim family, and though they've never said anything, I try to avoid eating and drinking in front of them while they are fasting. It just seemed kind of rude to be guzzling ice water in front of them while they're waiting for sundown. The half serious, half comedy option is to mow his lawn for him. I'm told that spending an hour pushing the mower in the July sun is absolutely dreadful when you don't get to come inside for a drink.
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Apr 16, 2015 02:04
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Eid Mubarak!
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Apr 16, 2015 13:20
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Thanks for the (serious) suggestions! I'll probably get him a card for Eid, and try to figure out something having to do with Egypt too, though I have no idea what. He's not fasting or anything, I just think he'd appreciate someone recognizing the occasion. He's older, in his early 60s, so the kids are grown and gone. I seem to remember him saying how he and his friends used to steal mangos from some guy's mango tree when he was a kid, so I think that might be something sentimental anyway. A Proper Uppercut fucked around with this message at 23:44 on Apr 17, 2015 |
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Apr 17, 2015 23:41
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Encourage your workplace to fast from sunrise to sunset for a month with a complete absence of music. I'm sure he'll get a real kick out of it.
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Apr 19, 2015 17:08
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A box of dates might be a nice small gift as it is what is traditionally used to break the fast - or just something you know he loves to eat, given at Eid, 'cause he will have been craving it all month (and some Muslims are sick of dates by the end of first week). Otherwise, yeah, as people have said, Eid is the celebration at the end of Ramadan and would be the appropriate time to give a card or similar. At my sixth form college we used to have a party for Eid and non-Muslim kids could go, just as non-Christians could go to Xmas things. The usual style was things were decorated in green (which is a colour associated with Islam/God), people brought in delicious homecooked food from their family's various Asian cuisines, and we'd eat food and chat and some of the girls would give anyone who wanted one henna designs on their hands. Other random useful facts about Ramadan: Some Muslims observe stricter standards of modesty during Ramadan, so it's not unusual to see girls who do not normally wear hijabs wearing them for Ramadan, A lot of Muslims will try to re-read the entirety of the Koran during Ramadan, People with a good reason, such as illness or pregnancy, are exempted from fasting during Ramadan. But yeah, as people have said, Ramadan is a quiet time of religious contemplation and fasting, whereas Eid is the celebration at the end of the month. Kind of like how Lent and Easter can be in stricter Christian groups. ETA: some people who don't fast will give something up for Ramadan, just like some people do for Lent. As 99 above mentioned, the traditional greeting is 'Eid Mubarak!' which means Blessed Eid. loki k zen fucked around with this message at 21:24 on Apr 29, 2015 |
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Apr 29, 2015 21:20
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Still don't know how you guys manage without drinking, especially since majority of Muslim world is located in warmer places, and this Ramadan falls in time when days are the longest.
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Jul 2, 2015 20:00
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Starving yourself is hazardous to your health and it should be avoided.
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Jul 3, 2015 08:06
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Fasting is good for you and should be encouraged.
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Jul 3, 2015 15:41
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Helps get rid of toxins
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Jul 3, 2015 18:48
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| # ? Apr 16, 2024 09:14 |
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Ramadam is a religious festival first invented in the early 700's. Nowadays all food is prohibited during Ramadam, but the original fast was centered solely on cheese. In those days Bedouin nomads mainly subsisted on the milk and cheese of their camels. Cheese was considered a divine substance, and it was held that moon was made of cheese also. As Muslims worship the moon, it was felt that by denying yourself the divine substance (and your main source of nutrient) that you were proving your dedication to 'Allah' (Moon in Arabic).
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Jul 3, 2015 19:25
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