Mind Soup

What is the "Istibaneh"? On the 29th of Sha’aban, the people of Beirut and the people of the heights surrounding the city used to gather on the shores of Al-Awzai, Ramla Al-Bayda, Al-Rawsheh, Al-Manara and Al-Somteya, with the purpose of identifying the al-Hilal, which is the inaugural sign of the Holy month of Ramadan. They took with them to these shores some food to spend the time while waiting for the sunset in order to spot the Hilal. Once they would spot the emergence of the crescent, canons would be fired on the hilltop of the seraglio (al-Sarai) declaring the start of the Holy month of Ramadan. What's happening this year? " Istibaneh " is taking place this year on July 30th, 2011 at Ein El Mraysseh Corniche facing the Mosque . The event is organized by three NGOs: Kitaf El Kheir Association (President Dr. Abla Bsat Jumaa) Sinno Family League : (President Mhamad Khales Sinno) Moultaka Chabab Beirut : (President Cheick Omar Chebaro) The event, wh...

I would like to wish all my readers, on Behalf of all the Mind Soup authors, Eid Fitr Mubarak and May the guidance and blessings of God be with you and your families. Dar al Fatwa in Beirut announced on Wednesday night that Eid el Fitr will fall this year on Friday the 10th, making Ramadan this year 30 days. For more information about Eid el Fitr, you can find it here (wikipedia).

I was getting my daily fix of news from google reader this afternoon and I fell upon this inspirational blog post about religious tolerance in Lebanon from Seif and his Beiruti Adventures  and I thought I'd share it with my readers, especially after the journalist incident  last week. I sure hope that Ali Seif doesn't mind the repost. [...] Ramadan seems to have passed by very quickly this year with 10 days or so left of fasting (depending on where you are). Ramadan is one of my favourite months, as I really enjoy the days of fasting, prayer, forgiveness, and blessing associated with this month. It’s a break from the 11 other months of hectic busy schedules, anger, and nagging. I may have mentioned this before, but my family has never been “all that religious” in the past, as is the case with many Sunni Muslim families of the Bekaa Valley (specifically in the Zahle province). I was taught how to pray, fast, and the basic necessities of Islam, but not muc...

Annahar's Hiyam al-Kosayfi Photo Credits: Youtube/AnnaharTV MIND SOUP : Journalist for the Lebanese daily Annahar, Hiyam al-Kosayfi, expressed her anger about being denied wine in a hotel restaurant in Down Town Beirut during Ramadan. This hotel which was "founded by a Maronite Christian and blessed with sacred water by a priest" has made it a policy not to serve any form of alcoholic beverages during the month of Ramadan, where Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset on food, drinks, and sex, and usually abide strictly to Islamic Law during this month. According to al-Kosayfi, she said the that waiter recommended a good bottle of wine, but then embarrassingly apologized and took back the wine glasses from the table after realizing the policy. The (Christian) writer and her crew made a fuss about this incident until a manager approached them and offered to serve them wine in blue tinted glasses, as not to alarm the Muslim customers who were having breakfast (iftar)...

Ramadan 2009 around the world - Photo Gallery On August 21st, hundreds of millions of Muslims started fasting for a month. They started to abstain from eating or drinking from dawn to dusk. They stand for hours in prayers each night to remember their Lord and express their gratitude to Him, seek His forgiveness and aspire to come closer to Him.On September 20th, the month of Ramadan ended welcoming Eid el Fitr. Vendors selling food for breaking fast wait for their customers during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Jakarta August 31, 2009. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. (Reuters, Enny Nuraheni) A Muslim man rests inside a mosque as he wait for iftar (breaking fast) in Dhaka August 29, 2009. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. (Re...

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is extending greetings to Muslims celebrating Eid al-Fitr (ayd ahl-FIH'-tur), which marks the end of the holy monthlong fasting time known as Ramadan. The president on Saturday issued a statement saying he and his wife, Michelle, congratulate Muslims in the U.S. and around on the world on a "blessed day." Obama said even at this festive occasion, Muslims remember the less fortunate, those suffering in poverty, hunger, conflict and disease. In her own statement, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the occasion is a reminder that the values of Islam — "charity, community, cooperation, compassion are values which we hold dear as Americans."

No American president has ever done this before, i can honestly say this made me feel really good as a muslim.