Soaring prices amid Ukraine war casts pall over Ramadan
BEIRUT — Muslimmajority nations, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria and the United Arab Emirates, declared that the holy month of Ramadan, when the faithful observe a dawnto-dusk fast, would begin at sunrise Saturday.
But the raging war in Ukraine, which has sent energy and food prices soaring across much of the Arab world, casts a shadow this year over Islam’s holiest month, when large gatherings over meals and family celebrations are a tradition.
Many had been hoping for a more cheerful Ramadan, after the coronavirus pandemic cut off the world’s 2 billion Muslims from cherished Ramadan rituals for the past two years. Instead, many find even the most basic items are too expensive to buy this year.
The Saudi statement — based on a moon-sighting methodology — was broadcast on the kingdom’s staterun Saudi TV.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates, congratulated Muslims on the arrival of Ramadan.
“We solemnly pray that God continues to bestow his blessings and mercy on our beloved country and people everywhere,” he wrote on Twitter.
In Beirut, celebrations were muted and many residents expressed shock at the surge in food prices, which have soared further after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month.
The Lebanese have been facing their nation’s worst economic crisis over the past two years as the currency collapsed and the country’s middle class was plunged into poverty. The small Mediterranean country’s meltdown has also
brought on severe shortages in electricity, fuel and medicine.
“It is not like every year, because most people don’t have electricity to buy items to store and prepare themselves for Ramadan,” said Moheidein Bazazo, who owns a grocery shop in the Zoqaq el-Blat neighborhood in Beirut.
Many shelves in Bazazo’s shop were empty on the eve of Ramadan. He said he was even struggling to get flour, buying it on the black market at high prices.
Hassan Ibrahim, a shopper, said he couldn’t keep up with the prices. “Only those who are stealing or selling drugs or politicians can live. Other than that, no one else can,” he said.
Some among Lebanon’s Shiites, as well as Shiites in Iran and Iraq, were marking the start of Ramadan a day later, and would begin fasting on Sunday.
Jordan, a predominantly Sunni country, also said the first day of Ramadan would be on Sunday, in a break from following Saudi Arabia. The kingdom’s Petra news agency said the Islamic religious authority was unable to spot the crescent moon indicating the beginning of the month.
It was not immediately clear if Jordan’s decision
had political motives. In 2019, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank were at odds with Saudi Arabia for the first time in recent history in declaring what day Ramadan would end on. At the time, this was believed to be a veiled protest against Saudi Arabia and Gulf Arab countries’ support for then-President Donald Trump’s plan for the Mideast, which many saw as favoring Israel at the expense of Palestinians.
In Afghanistan, where the Taliban seized control of the country last August, the high court announced the first day of Ramadan would be Saturday, said Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, in a tweet. Pakistan, where Sunni Muslims are the majority, would begin fasting on Saturday.
Muslims follow a lunar calendar, and a moon-sighting methodology can lead to different countries declaring the start of Ramadan a day or two apart.
Families across the region often go on shopping sprees before Ramadan to pick up dates, special Ramadan desserts and decorations. During Ramadan, Muslims must abstain from all eating, drinking or smoking from dawn to dusk each day for the entire month.