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Ramadan In A Time Of War

Rafah, Gaza - March 10: Displaced Palestinians decorate their tent in preparation for the holy month of Ramadan on March 10, 2024 in Rafah, Gaza. The United States and other nations mediating Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks had hoped to reach a temporary truce prior to the start of the Islamic holy month, but recent meetings in Cairo did not produce a result. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation remains dire in Gaza, with foreign nations proposing new ways to increase aid deliveries, such as the creation of a temporary port.(Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)

Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images

Ramadan In A Time Of War

Rafah, Gaza - March 10: Displaced Palestinians decorate their tent in preparation for the holy month of Ramadan on March 10, 2024 in Rafah, Gaza. The United States and other nations mediating Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks had hoped to reach a temporary truce prior to the start of the Islamic holy month, but recent meetings in Cairo did not produce a result. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation remains dire in Gaza, with foreign nations proposing new ways to increase aid deliveries, such as the creation of a temporary port.(Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)

Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images

Ramadan In A Time Of War

The holy month of Ramadan begins this week. It is a holy month of worship for Muslims during which they worship, study the Quran, pray and fast from sunrise until sunset. It is a time of light, but Ramadan feels different this year, especially for Palestinian-Americans, says Eman Abdelhadi. She is a professor at the University of Chicago, whose research focuses on Muslim-Americans. Abdelhadi says "every moment of joy feels stolen and elicits a sense of guilt." The guilt she describes is connected to the mass death and suffering in Gaza. What does Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza mean for the holiest of Muslim holidays? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Rafah, Gaza - March 10: Displaced Palestinians decorate their tent in preparation for the holy month of Ramadan on March 10, 2024 in Rafah, Gaza. The United States and other nations mediating Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks had hoped to reach a temporary truce prior to the start of the Islamic holy month, but recent meetings in Cairo did not produce a result. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation remains dire in Gaza, with foreign nations proposing new ways to increase aid deliveries, such as the creation of a temporary port.(Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)

Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images

 

The holy month of Ramadan begins this week. It is a holy month of worship for Muslims during which they worship, study the Quran, pray and fast from sunrise until sunset.

It is a time of light, but Ramadan feels different this year, especially for Palestinian-Americans, says Eman Abdelhadi. She is a professor at the University of Chicago, whose research focuses on Muslim-Americans.

Abdelhadi says "every moment of joy feels stolen and elicits a sense of guilt." The guilt she describes is connected to the mass death and suffering in Gaza.

What does Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza mean for the holiest of Muslim holidays?

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

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