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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Sunday Evening Open Thread: Ramadan Kareem

Sunday Evening Open Thread: Ramadan Kareem

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An easy fast to those among us who observe, this month.

And from local columnist Petula Dvorak at the Washington Post, a very American take on the holiday:

… During Ramadan, observant Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.

That usually means there are festive and huge iftars — the evening meal — all month. Buffets, parties, family potlucks, especially on Friday nights.

Thomas Jefferson held the first White House iftar in 1805, when a Muslim dignitary was visiting during Ramadan, and the president changed the mealtime to make sure it was after sundown.

But the trickier meal for American Muslims is suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, which usually happens around 3 or 4 a.m.

For decades, IHOP, the home of that famous, smiling chocolate chip pancake breakfast, has been one of the only places across the country — from big cities to country towns, from Los Angeles to West Virginia — where a Muslim family can load up on a filling meal before the day-long fast ahead.

In the same way Jews embraced the only restaurants often open on Christmas — Chinese eateries — Muslims adopted IHOP as a beloved part of Ramadan in America.

Twitter is already full of Muslims saying their IHOP craving is beginning to kick in, with moms excited to bring their kid to their first “grand American tradition of the IHOP suhoor.” And then there’s the funny intersection of Muslim families next to booths of drunken clubbers satisfying their 3 a.m. munchies. This mash-up has inspired some comic “Whoa. Did I just walk into a Muslim convention?”pre-dawn tweets over the years…

…[E]nter “Dine After Dark,” a new effort by a D.C. graduate student who spotted a classmate eating at 7-Eleven because nothing else was open when it was time for her to have her suhoor meal. Katherine Ashworth Brandt isn’t even Muslim. But she’s urging area restaurants to extend their hours to be more Ramadan-friendly.

“I have a lot of Muslim friends in my life, and I am embarrassed to say it never really dawned on me what an inconvenience it was until then,” said Brandt, 34, a former congressional staffer…

…[I]t’s the last 10 nights that are the most challenging when it comes to food. Those nights are when Muslims are encouraged to stay up as long as they can and pray. That’s when the restaurant outings help.

And it’s when teens love hanging out at restaurants with all their friends at 3 a.m. and when women turn Ramadan into a Muslim GNO (Girls Night Out).

“Going out for suhoor has become quite a social thing,” Ahmed said.

Mariam Mokhtarzada, a social butterfly and mom to one of my son’s best friends, agreed.

“Ramadan is a time when Muslims turn inward for reflection and spiritual rejuvenation. But it’s also a time when Muslims are encouraged to turn outward as well to connect with each other,” said Mokhtarzada, who is executive director of the Next Wave Muslim Initiative in Bethesda…

Reader Interactions

76Comments

  4. 4.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Baud: IANM but the celebration is at the end of the month and called Eid. Ramadan is like Lent and Eid is like Easter. So you would wish Eid Mubarak at the end of Ramadan not Ramadan Mubarak. Amir feel free to correct me if my understanding is wrong.

  7. 7.

    JPL

    @Baud: Me too! enjoy the food Amir.

    Amir, was it last year that you were sick and could not fast? Trump has taken away any sense of time that I have had.

  9. 9.

    NotMax

    As one of those oddballs who quite often has to consciously remind himself to eat something after 24 (or even 48) hours, have always found it a curiosity when fasting is described as a travail.

    Being expected to dine with the family, now that’s a travail extraordinaire. As always, YMMV.

    ;)

  13. 13.

    Jerzy Russian

    @Major Major Major Major: Obama spied on Trump’s campaign? I don’t know what is more frightening: Falwell and husband ilk really believe this stuff, or they don’t believe but nevertheless repeat it for political gain.

  17. 17.

    Steeplejack

    @Major Major Major Major, @Steve in the ATL:

    It’s not just crazy, it’s dangerous. We now have right-wing “thought leaders” casually “joking” about overturning or ignoring things that are at the core of our democracy. It feels like the first degree or two of the frog water getting warmer.

  20. 20.

    Jerzy Russian

    @Major Major Major Major: Also too, I guess it is OK to pay hush money to well-known performers in the Adult Film Industry? I don’t care what the rules are, but it would be nice if they just decided what they are and stick to them.

  21. 21.

    Jerzy Russian

    @Baud: Actually, that was some self deprecating humor. I am not a doughy looking old white man. Instead, I look like a cross between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery when they were both at their prime.

  29. 29.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    Collect every ounce of your goodness
    make it a treasure of Blessings
    A beautiful statement I am going to add to my wall of sayings.
    That video is hard to watch because something keeps getting my eyes moist, it must be those onions in the back.
    :-)

  30. 30.

    zhena gogolia

    I just tried to watch Michael Bennet’s interview on MTP and I became apoplectic over Chuck Todd. The MSM’s slant is, “isn’t it so clever of Trump to refuse to provide information to Congress?” rather than he’s violating the Constitution.

  31. 31.

    Ruckus

    @Steeplejack:
    Considering that this is more like nearing the end game of this decades long republican bullshit festival I’d say the water has gained a bit more than a degree or two.

  33. 33.

    FlipYrWhig

    @zhena gogolia: Yup. The media’s take on Republicans pretty much since Pat Buchanan has been “ya gotta respect how, for some reason we can’t entirely comprehend, they keep getting away with being purely malevolent assholes.”

  35. 35.

    Another Scott

    Twitter:

    Dave Huynh @KeepHuynhing

    Dave Huynh Retweeted DETROIT BRANCH NAACP
    If you’re interested in watching @KamalaHarris speak at the NAACP Freedom Fund dinner tonight, you can watch it here: https://www.wxyz.com/live4 #KamalaHarris #ForThePeopleDave Huynh added,
    DETROIT BRANCH NAACP @DETROITNAACP
    Freedom Knows Only One Direction…Forward! https://shar.es/a0nrsy via @detroitnaacp
    3:54 PM – 5 May 2019

    See the original for the full links (I doubt these will work).

    (via LOLGOP)

    Eyes on the prize!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  39. 39.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    @Major Major Major Major:
    There’s so much bullshit surrounding Trump that I sometimes get details mixed up. Obama didn’t say “spy on Trump’s campaign”, but it got “spied on” through legal channels/means in the sense that the campaign kept contacting foreign, hostile Russian agents, correct?

  40. 40.

    Baud

    When the world champion Boston Red Sox visit the White House on Thursday, they will do so without their manager.

    Alex Cora, who led the team to a title in his first year at the helm, announced in a written statement provided to the Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia on Sunday that he will not join the team when it meets with President Trump.

    Cora, a native of Puerto Rico, mentioned the federal government’s relief efforts after Hurricane Maria when explaining his decision.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/05/05/red-sox-manager-alex-cora-will-not-attend-white-house-ceremony/?noredirect=on

  41. 41.

    Jay

    “In the spring of 1988, Steve Hyde, the chief executive of Trump’s casino business, was approached by a racehorse owner named Robert LiButti—who also happened to be a mob associate—who was selling a horse with an impressive pedigree and “Triple Crown potential,” according to former Trump employee John O’Donnell’s book Trumped!. The asking price for the racehorse, named Alibi, was $500,000. Trump agreed to buy Alibi, on the condition that the horse be renamed DJ Trump.

    But the process didn’t go so smoothly. Shortly after making the deal, Trump—as is his style—began trying to renegotiate it.”

    https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/10/trump-files-horse-dj-trump/

  44. 44.

    charluckles

    What’s a good Ramadan gift for a teenage boy and when are we supposed to gift it to him?

  46. 46.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    @Jay:
    That’s what I thought. I was confused when everyone was saying that was a lie by Falwell Jr. I suppose it was, at least by omission of the right context surrounding the conduct of Trump’s campaign.

  52. 52.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    @Major Major Major Major:
    I don’t disagree. I suppose it was a lie because Falwell left out a lot of the important context you just mentioned? Sorry, sometimes there’s just too much information to remember.

    I think it’s funny how he claims that the “economy is soaring”. I look around and I don’t see it. It’s feels very stagnant. Sure, it’s not the great recession, but there’s no real prosperity to be had. It seems like a lot of wealth is being funnelled to the top. My father has said that the current economy is fake. I’m having difficulty remembering what he meant. I think it had something to do with investors shuffling money around trying to keep companies solvent/afloat. ?‍♂️

  53. 53.

    Jay

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:

    Twisting context all out of shape makes it a lie.

    The FBI off of information supplied by Australia and Britain applied to the FISA Court for warrants on members of Trump’s Campaign Team.

    Inother words, standard ReThug tactics for a day ending in “y”.

  54. 54.

    Amir Khalid

    @Steve in the ATL:
    1 — If you are non-Muslim, eating and drinking in Muslim company is perfectly okay. No need to apologise. At the very most, you need only say, “Excuse me while I eat”.
    2 — Remember that it is Ramadhan, and suppress the polite urge to offer food/drink to a Muslim during daylight hours.
    3 — Sincerely wishing a Muslim “Ramadhan Mubarak” is of course always good. The very traditional Chinese greeting “Have you eaten?” is probably best avoided until after Eid al-Fitri.
    4 — Some Muslim-run restaurants close during the day for the month, or even close completely until after Eid al-fitri. Check before making reservations or going.
    5 — Avoid the Iftar buffets at the posher hotels and restaurants. They are way overpriced. The most popular ones are often unpleasantly crowded.

  57. 57.

    Steve in the ATL

    @sukabi:

    If law enforcement is your adversary you’re probably a criminal.

    Unless you’re, you know, black

  58. 58.

    Jay

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:

    Wall Street’s doing okay.

    Main Street’s dying,

    Did the math the other day. Had my first “real” job in 1975. Full benifits, pension, $15.10 an hour, over $32,000 a year before taxes and witholdings. The Bank of Canada inflation calculator say’s over $151,000 in 2019. The same job, same Union, pays minimum wage today. $9.

  64. 64.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    @Jay:
    Huh. I make that $9/hr (American). Soon to be $9.35 in August. Based on my hours worked in a week and $1.62/hr, my company pays a weekly contribution to the union pension fund. I’m not sure if that’s intended specifically for me. I tend to think it doesn’t and it’s just a fund all retirees pull from that is probably indexed to the stock market.

    I think I also get some kind of health insurance, but not until 4th monthly contribution by the employer (first payment after one year of service). They contributed $121 every month for the last 2 months, but didn’t this time. Not sure why. I’m fairly sure I worked enough hours last month (72). I’ll need to ask HR about it.

  65. 65.

    Jay

    @Steve in the ATL:

    The Tier A are getting some of their jobs, benifits and pensions preserved until they retire, then die.

    The Tier B people get fixed weekly shifts, track raises and promotions, 80% medical, $50% dental, the promise of a meager retirement, minor job security while the pension portion of their Union dues and Corporate Contribution goes to paying the pensions of the already retired Tier A employees.

    The Tier A and Tier B employees still get more from their Union, than they have gotten from voting.

  67. 67.

    Baud

    @Jay:

    The Tier A and Tier B employees still get more from their Union, than they have gotten from voting.

    A. It’s not a competition.

    B. Voting isn’t just about self-interest but also civic duty.

    @Steve in the ATL:

    There it is.

  69. 69.

    Jay

    @Baud:

    There’s a competition. Tier A people voted to allow a split in employment classes. Tier A people got to keep their full time fixed, monthly scheduled, full benifits, $60k to $170k a year jobs, while all new hires, start at minimum wage, and have to put in 2 years before they can qualify for full time.

    An entire sector that once provided a Middle Class living, is now filled with part timers and a few full timers having to work second and third jobs.

    The Government allowed it and rather than strike to protect the generations after them, the Union Members caved to protect themselves.

  70. 70.

    J R in WV

    @Major Major Major Major:

    .

    After the best week ever for @realDonaldTrump – no obstruction, no collusion, NYT admits @BarackObama did spy on his campaign, & the economy is soaring. I now support reparations-Trump should have 2 yrs added to his 1st term as pay back for time stolen by this corrupt failed coup

    — Jerry Falwell (@JerryFalwellJr) May 5, 2019

    .

    .

    Holy sheets, Batman!!! You’re right about the increasing density of fabrications and mis-statements — ie lies, per tweet lately. And I encourage everyone to visit @JerryFalwellJr to see the responses to this tweet before Jerry “Pool Boy” Falwell deletes everything! Amazing and one sided — everyone thinks he should lose his tax free status!

  71. 71.

    tobie

    @zhena gogolia: I saw part of that interview and agree that Chuck Todd frames everything as the Democrats’ problem. It’s never a problem that Republicans don’t seem to care if the President acts like an autocrat, commits crimes, destroys evidence, etc. Worse yet is Todd’s cavalier indifference to how he and other TV show hosts have worked to generate the impression that it’s just as plausible to say that the President committed obstruction of justice as it is to say that the Obama administration spied on him. Todd will tout the legitimacy of both sides until one side (the GOP) takes him and the free press off the air.

    That said it was annoying to hear Bennett say that Democrats were to blame for McConnell getting rid of the filibuster for judicial nominees because they didn’t vote to approve Gorsuch. Really? We made McConnell do it? Why do so many centrists sound like they’re suffering from Stockholm syndrome?

  72. 72.

    Jay

    “Why do so many centrists sound like they’re suffering from Stockholm syndrome?”

    Because they are. Mock, Paper, Sissors had a series of posts up on the PCC afterparties based on who the Axios e-mail thingy reported attended,

    There’s a Club, we’re not in it.

  75. 75.

    greenergood

    I _love_ that Ramadan fasting Muslims go to IHOP – when I was a child 50 years ago, you couldn’t eat for 12 hours before Holy Communion on Sunday mornings, so IHOP was the shining goal of getting through Mass, so you could eat lots of pancakes and various syrups – like blueberry, rasberry and boysenberry – who in New York had ever seen a boysenberry??

  76. 76.

    StringOnAStick

    @tobie: Gorsuch was from Colorado so I’m sure he and Bennet are buddies. Many liberal dems here hate Bennet from his time working for Phil Anschutz to his sudden change from centrist to claiming to be a progressive while campaigning with Polis last year. He has the scent of “slippery” it seems.

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