Thousands of worshippers bow towards Mecca as they mark the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation. In Jordan, Muslims say the crises in neighboring Iraq and the Palestinian territories have taken the gloss off this year’s Ramadan, which is seen by many as a reflective, festive period. The holy month of Ramadan has begun throughout the Middle East, with Muslims observing their first day of weeks of dawn-to-dusk fasting, followed by sumptuous meals at family homes, five-star restaurants or free-to-eat-at tables lining city streets. Traditionally a period of spiritual reflection, Ramadan this year coincides with the war in Iraq, the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict and harsh economic times in countries like Egypt, the most populous nation in the Arab world. Millions of Muslims in Egypt, Jordan and Yemen began fasting Sunday. Muslims elsewhere are expected to begin marking Ramadan on Monday because Islamic officials there decreed that the holiday should begin a day later. Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, and Iraq will officially begin the fasting month Monday. Full Story
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