Economic woes overshadow Ramadan

Financial and political concerns have taken their toll on this year's celebrations as Muslims throughout the Middle East observed their first day of fasting.

The holy month of Ramadan has began 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.

Millions of Muslims in Egypt, Jordan and Yemen began fasting Sunday. Fellow Muslims in other Middle Eastern states and elsewhere around the world were expected to begin marking Ramadan yesterday. Muslims believe it was during Ramadan about 1,400 years ago that the Koran, the Islamic holy book, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

Abdel Hakem Abaed, a Yemeni university student, said he will be "praying to God during Ramadan for the sake of Muslims everywhere in Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan. This is our task."

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2003/10/28/2003073687

Is this the Bush Crime Family plan? Make the Middle East an Africa and starve them to death?

Jordan cannot get their oil anymore through the pipeline. So Jordan is now in an oil crisis, and King Abdullah is pissed.