Re: Moslems in the arctic (was: Metric Time (was Re: Why not 13 months? (Was La Systeme Metrique))

Whittet (Whittet@shore.net)
14 Oct 1995 20:54:20 GMT

In article <45onc4$nk6@ixnews2.ix.netcom.com>, jmrubin@ix.netcom.com says...
>
>In article <45omh3$6il@ixnews7.ix.netcom.com>, taibi@ix.netcom.com says...
>>
>>In <45olcf$s78@ixnews4.ix.netcom.com> jmrubin@ix.netcom.com (Joel
>>Rubin) writes:
>>>
>>>Actually, some calendars DO have 13 months sometimes. The Jewish,
>>Chinese and
>>>Moslem calendars are all based on lunar months. But 12 lunar months is
>>about
>>>11 days short on a year. The Moslems don't do anything (probably
>>because they
>>>started out as desert nomads) and, as a result, Ramadan is not in the
>>same
>>>season in different years.
>>>
>>During Ramadan, Moslems must fast during the day but may eat
>>at night. This must be pretty rough on Moslems near the arctic
>>circle when Ramadan happens to fall in mid-summer.
>>--
>>S. Taibi
>
>I should assume that if it ever came up, as with most religious codes of laws,
>they would find some way around it.

You must not know many arabs.
I can give you a couple of examples if you like.

Prayer call comes five times a day. During the Iraq Iran war soldiers charging
dug in machine gun positions stopped in mid charge to lay down their prayer
rugs and pray to Allah. They escaped unscathed because the gunners they faced
were busy praying also. Inshallah

A friend who was responsible for instructing Saudi helicopter pilots in
auto rotation reports that when he turned the engines off and the chopper
began to drop, they just threw their hands over their faces and began
praying loudly. Inshallah

It has been my own experience that Arab auto inspections check that the
horn works but neglect the brakes. There is no thought of attempting to
slow down before the inevitable impact. Inshallah

The road I commuted to work on averaged four fatalities a day.

A Saudia plane caught fire on its final approach. It was instructed to circle
because a member of the Royal Family had priority to land. After patiently
waiting its turn the pilot managed a safe landing. He then led the passangers
in prayer before allowing anyone to disembark. No one aboard exited the plane
and all the passangers were asphixiated by the smoke.

After all, surely suicide is a worse sin
>under Islam than breaking a fast. (It is illegal under Jewish law to risk
>one's life by fasting on Yom Kippur.)

While the Jews and Moslems have very similar attitudes and values, the jewish
concern with personal safety is not a priority of islam.
>
>I once read that the Iranian Shi'ites have some sort of temporary marriage for
>young people in lust. (I'll let someone who knows what he's talking about
>confirm or deny or explain that.)

The Moslems are very tolerant of people living out of proper wedlock, (they
place all westerners in that catagory for example). They do consider all western
women and any not properly married to be prostitutes and occasionaly bring
them to Allah for judgement, but it is acceptable for young men to live by
a rather different standard.

A Catholic who has been married for twenty
>years somehow manages to get an annulment as if the marriage never existed.

In Moslem eyes it would not have. Only a Moslem can be a legitimate husband.

>
>Make a strict enough law and people will find the loopholes. (In the case of
>religious laws, it seems to be the religious authorities who find the
>loopholes!)

I don't know if you would consider it a loophole or not, but any moslem man
can do what he wants with any non moslem women without creating any breach
of conscience or religious scruple.

While I was in Saudi a phillipino girl hired as a maid was repeatedly abused
by every male member of her household.

Women are not allowed to drive or appear in public, let alone to argue
with the decisions of a man, but finally she could stand the rapings and
beatings no longer and fought back, stabbing one of her attackers.

Her case came to the attention of the local mosque who judged her quilty of
disobedience and beligerance and promptly beheaded her in a very public
execution for daring to question the rights of a man.
>
The metric system makes sense to them also.

Steve