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From Indonesia to Pakistan, Muslims in Asia welcome holy month of Ramadan with concern amid Israel-Gaza war, inflation

  • In Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim nation, Ramadan will be more difficult amid soaring food prices, inflation and a poor local rice harvest
  • This year, war and starvation in the Gaza Strip casts an especially dark shadow on the festivities

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A vendor prepares traditional food on a roadside, ahead of Muslims’ holy month of Ramadan, at a market in Karachi, Pakistan. Photo: EPA-EFE
Associated Press
Muslims around the world are welcoming the arrival of Ramadan, a month of dawn-to-dusk fasting, intense prayer, charity and feasts that began for many on Sunday night.
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However, there are some Asia-Pacific countries like Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, that will begin Ramadan on Tuesday after failing to see the crescent moon. Oman, on the easternmost edge of the Arabian Peninsula, similarly announced Ramadan would begin on Tuesday. Jordan will also begin Ramadan on Tuesday.

But as they savour the traditions of their own diverse communities – from holiday treats to evening diversions – the tribulations faced by fellow Muslims are never far from anyone’s mind. This year, war and starvation in the Gaza Strip casts an especially dark shadow on the festivities.

Many are also struggling to buy food as inflation remains high in many countries and has worsened in some.

Still, even Muslims who are struggling economically or otherwise look forward to what are widely seen as the true blessings of the holy month – prayer and reflection, nurtured by the day-long fast, and time spent with loved ones.

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