Ramadan in Jerusalem (al-Quds)

I went to the Old City of Jerusalem (al-Quds in Arabic) a couple of nights ago. It is a very special place, especially during the month of Ramadan. Fasting is one of Islam's five pillars. Ramadan is a very nice month filled with visits to family and friends, and good food. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, and it gives one a chance to empathize with the poor and hungry each day for a month. Many poor people feel hunger ALL THE TIME.......year-round. It is also a time when people's generosity, caring and goodness really shows.

Islam is a very misunderstood religion, and I feel that people are very critical of certain aspects of it without trying to understand the reasons behind these things. I am still learning, and have been reading a lot about my own religion, and still, there are many things that I also do not understand. However, I think that the things that might seem a bit strange should be understood before being criticized, and the goodness in the religion should not be ignored.

Below is the link for my article about Ramadan that was just printed today in the Gulf Times (Qatar). It's a PDF file. I hope whoever reads it will enjoy it!