Women are not allowed to fast one week during Ramadan (the week varies with the woman); travellers are not required to fast, but must make it up later, or pay a poor person to fast for them.
Some Islamic countries let restaurants stay open for women and travellers. Others do not. Most that do allow restaurants to stay open require the restaurant to cover the windows so fasting Muslims won’t see the non-fasters.
But Afghanistan is not an independent Muslim country, it’s a Protectorate of the Coalition.
Which is why it has good roads (for the Coalition troops) and open restaurants during Ramadan.
Have Ted & Co. been under any pressure to observe the restrictions on eating during the day, even if nobody has said anything to them directly? Or is there enough of a non-Muslim population where they are that it’s not unusual to see people eating lunch?
So last May 2011 the blog Daily Kos conducted a poll of their readers asking whether they wanted my cartoons added to the then-new Daily Kos comics line-up, which includes a bunch of like-minded altie/leftie comix, the likes of which I typically run with. Here was the poll: “I’d like to see Ted Rall added […]
I will be touring to promote my upcoming book THE BOOK OF OBAMA, and the first confirmed date is in Portland, Oregon. This is a live appearance and tickets are now available. Here are the specs: Friday, June 1, 2012 7:30-10:30 pm Live Wire Radio The Alberta Rose Theatre 3000 NE Alberta Street Portland, Oregon […]
Tax Fairness Won’t Reduce Inequality Reacting to and attempting to co-opt the Occupy Wall Street movement, President Obama used his 2012 State of the Union address to discuss what he now calls “the defining issue of our time”—the growing gap between rich and poor. “We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number […]
Jack Idema is dead. I met this colorful character in the lobby of the Hotel Tajikistan in Dushanbe in November 2001. I was on my way into northern Afghanistan and the HT was the headquarters for reporters covering the Taliban’s last (ha–we thought) stand in north, around Kunduz. Like all con men, he was vague […]
Today Kickstarter has a question thingie about my use of them to fund my 2010 trip to Afghanistan. Given his preview, I’m surprised that David Carr didn’t mention this approach to funding journalism in his NYT column today. (psst–it’s fun to be blackballed) […]
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Quite possibly the Taliban have set up these stands to find out who is not observing Ramadan…
Women are not allowed to fast one week during Ramadan (the week varies with the woman); travellers are not required to fast, but must make it up later, or pay a poor person to fast for them.
Some Islamic countries let restaurants stay open for women and travellers. Others do not. Most that do allow restaurants to stay open require the restaurant to cover the windows so fasting Muslims won’t see the non-fasters.
But Afghanistan is not an independent Muslim country, it’s a Protectorate of the Coalition.
Which is why it has good roads (for the Coalition troops) and open restaurants during Ramadan.
Have Ted & Co. been under any pressure to observe the restrictions on eating during the day, even if nobody has said anything to them directly? Or is there enough of a non-Muslim population where they are that it’s not unusual to see people eating lunch?