Asian Muslims start Ramadan

Muslims in much of Asia on Sunday began Holy Ramadan, the lunar month of fasting and abstinence, however, World Cup fever continued to grip Indonesia as soccer fans head towards the nightspots to watch 2nd round matches live late at night despite threats by hardliners to raid ‘sinful’ bars and amusement spots. Across the Muslim world, the faithful fast from dawn to dusk and strive to be more pious during the holy month, which ends with the Eid-ul-Fitre holiday. Ramadan got under way in Asian countries including South East Asian states, particularly Indonesia which has the world’s biggest Muslim population at around 225 million, war-torn Afghanistan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Hardliners in Indonesia have pledged to raid bars that continue to sell alcohol, which Muslims are banned from drinking under Islamic law, or stay open too late. Authorities order bars and other nightspots to close earlier during the holy month. Radical group the Islamic Defenders’ Front would ‘monitor any sinful activities in entertainment places, cafes, cinema hall, bars and night clubs during Ramadan’, said Salim Alatas, the group’s chief in the capital Jakarta. But the threats did little to deter people in the football-crazy nation, where most practise a moderate form of Islam, from heading out to catch the World Cup knockout phase. Bars that remained open in Jakarta were packed with locals and expatriates late on Saturday and early Sunday during World Cup matches between Brazil v Chile and Colombia v Uruguay. ‘For me, the fasting does not really affect my enthusiasm to watch my favourite team play,’ said Intania Permata, a 22-year-old student, who was watching the Brazil v Chile nail-biter at a restaurant. Endika Setiadi Putra, 27, said that with the World Cup now in the knockout stages, the excitement would keep drawing people to watch the matches even during Islam’s holiest month.
- Diet dilemma for footballers -
The holy season also presents a dilemma for Muslim players in the World Cup, as choosing to fast will affect the strict diets they usually have to follow. The problem is most pressing for the team from Muslim-majority Algeria, who face a tough match against Germany on Monday. In the predominantly-Catholic Philippines, the country's Muslim minority was observing its first Ramadan since the signing of a peace deal between the government and the largest Islamic rebel group after decades of conflict. In Malaysia, Muslims -- who account for 60 percent of the country's 28 million people -- will spend the late afternoon buying food at markets or meeting at restaurants to break the first fast together in the evening. There will also be special prayers at mosques every night during the holy month. As in Indonesia, thoughts of the World Cup were uppermost in the minds of fans in the football-keen nation. Ridzwan Rahim, a copywriter, 37, said he looked forward to catching some of the matches when he wakes up for his pre-dawn meal during Ramadan, according to agencies.