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Rail safety chiefs investigated whether a Muslim driver’s Ramadan fast caused a London train to derail
- The derailment took place in June, at Paddington station, after the train’s driver passed a signal on red.
- Each year, Muslim countries see a dramatic rise in traffic accidents during Ramadan.
- During the Islamic holy month Muslims fast during daylight and binge after sundown.
- The derailment report highlights how research shows the Muslim fast “can affect concentration levels” and lists associated symptoms.
- “Fasting can have a range of effects on individuals including fatigue, dizziness, dehydration and headache, sleepiness and reduction in concentration which can result in safety concerns, especially when conducting safety critical jobs.”
- Dubai Police’s Command & Control centre reported that the city saw 7,273 traffic accidents during the first 15 days of Ramadan this year.
- Yemen traffic accidents double during the month of Ramadan.
- Saudi Arabia police warn that children should be kept inside, so as to avoid being run over by fasting drivers.
- Ramadan fasting may also adversely affect work in factories, hospital surgery rooms, and other work sites.
- Muslim terror acts also spike dramatically all over the world during Ramadan.
- Ramadan was instituted 14 centuries ago, when Muslims rode camels in the desert. Now they pilot airplanes and operate nuclear facilities.
- While most people can tolerate hours of fasting, people with hypoglycemia and other blood sugar level ailments can suffer from extreme psychological and physical reactions. Read details further down this page.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report stated that the train’s driver was fasting and woke to eat a light meal at 2.30am the night prior to the incident. It noted that fasting can cause notable problems for people’s concentration.
Continue reading, including the adverse effects of Ramadan fasting, and a list of references on Islam
Each year, Muslim countries see a dramatic rise in traffic accidents during Ramadan. During the Islamic holy month Muslims fast during daylight.
The derailment took place in June, at Paddington station, after the train’s driver passed a signal on red.
The train hit a large mast which carries overhead cables, bringing them down, which resulted in the busy station having to close for the rest of the evening.
Blocking the lines at the height of rush hour in the capital, the derailment caused huge delays for commuters. Some lines were unable to reopen until three days after the accident. The train was carrying no passengers at the time, and the driver was unhurt.
RAIB’s report states that the driver had “awoken during the night before the accident at 2.30am, to eat a light meal, as part of his observance of Ramadan. “He went back to bed at 3.30am, slept for a further seven hours before coming on duty at 1.07pm and had not had anything else to eat or drink before the accident occurred.”
It adds: “From the evidence available, RAIB is unable to determine whether his interruption in his sleep and subsequent fasting, was a factor in what happened on this occasion.”
The report highlights how research shows the Muslim fast “can affect concentration levels” and lists associated symptoms.
It notes: “Fasting can have a range of effects on individuals including fatigue, dizziness, dehydration and headache, sleepiness and reduction in concentration which can result in safety concerns, especially when conducting safety critical jobs.”
Dubai Police’s Command & Control centre reported that the city saw 7,273 traffic accidents during the first 15 days of Ramadan this year.
The number of traffic accidents doubles in Yemen during the Muslim holy month while police in Saudi Arabia warn that children should be kept inside, so as to avoid being run over by fasting drivers.
Census records show that in 2011 Muslims comprised just under 13 per cent of the population of London. Britain’s capital city elected a Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan, earlier this year.
Source
THE HEALTH FACTOR
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia, also called low blood glucose or low blood sugar, occurs when blood glucose drops below normal levels. Glucose, an important source of energy for the body, comes from food. Carbohydrates are the main dietary source of glucose. Rice, potatoes, bread, tortillas, cereal, milk, fruit, and sweets are all carbohydrate-rich foods.
Hypoglycemia can happen suddenly. It is usually mild and can be treated quickly and easily by eating or drinking a small amount of glucose-rich food. If left untreated, hypoglycemia can get worse and cause confusion, clumsiness, or fainting. Severe hypoglycemia can lead to seizures, coma, and even death.
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/preventing-diabetes-problems/low-blood-glucose-hypoglycemia
ADVERSE EFFECTS OF ISLAMIC FASTING
Excerpts from WikiIslam website
Medical fasting can have health benefits. However, Medical fasting differs from Islamic fasting, and contrary to popular Muslim beliefs, Islamic fasting, unlike Medical fasting, has numerous adverse effects. As we will explain here, Islamic fasting has significant harmful effects on health, national economy and productivity, crime rate, public safety and social behavior. Health effects include heat stress, dehydration, migraines and, for lactating women, the nutritional make-up of their milk, amongst others.
Dehydration
One study finds that incidences of dehydration increase during the month of Ramadan:
PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS
Evidence of hemoconcentration and dehydration has been found during Ramadan (El-Hazmi, Al-Faleh, & Al-Mofleh, 1987; Kayikcioglu et al., 1999; Ramadan et al., 1999; Schmahl & Metzler, 1991; Sweileh et al., 1992). Restricted fluid intake, leading to disturbance in the fluid balance, is likely to cause these conditions. In the initial stages of dehydration, the clinical signs are tachycardia, tiredness and malaise, headaches and nausea. Middle-aged or more elderly persons are usually more prone to the effects of dehydration (Schmahl & Metzler).
Dehydration is indicated by the increase of several serum biochemical parameters (El-Hazmi et al., 1987; Ramadan et al., 1999; Schmahl & Metzler, 1991; Sweileh et al., 1992). The increase in uric acid, however, should especially be noted (El-Ati et al, 1995; El-Hazmi et al., 1987; Fedail et al., 1982; Schmahl & Metzler, 1991), because hyperuricemia is one of the known sequelae of prolonged fasting (Murphy & Shipman, 1963). Hyperuricemia is associated with reduction in glomerular filtration rate, decrease in uric acid clearance and alterations in the renal transport of uric acid (Murphy & Shipman). During Ramadan, however, reports show that the increase in uric acid does not excessively deviate from the normal range and studies have not reported clinical gout (El-Hazmi et al., 1987; Fedail et al., 1982). Increased uric acid is, therefore, unlikely to affect healthy individuals.[5]
Migraines
Migraines are three times more common during Ramadan, affecting an estimated 90 million Muslims:
An estimated 90 million of the world’s 1.57 billion Muslims are likely to suffer from migraine headaches during the dawn-to-dusk fasts during the month of Ramadan – which begins on Wednesday, at the height of summer heat. But Jewish researchers in the US and Israel have suggested how to help prevent the problem.
Dr. Ibrahim Abu-Salameh, Israel’s only Beduin neurologist – who works at Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba – headed a team that found migraine attacks are three times more common during the Muslim fast than in the rest of the year.
Working with colleagues Dr. Igal Plecht and Dr. Gal Ifergan of the Beersheba hospital, Abu-Salameh studied 32 Beduin who suffered from migraine attacks during the Ramadan fast last year and compared the statistics to an ordinary month without the fast as a control.
Migraines were much more common in women than men; three-quarters of the women complained of migraine while fasting, compared to a much lower figure among the men. The Soroka study was published recently in the Journal of Headache and Pain.
. . .
. . .
Abu-Salameh said that he has gotten migraine headaches during Ramadan, and has treated Beduin who came to his clinic complaining about severe headaches. He noted that the medical literature has almost ignored the phenomenon until now.
Meanwhile, Dr. Michael J. Drescher of Hartford Hospital in Connecticut and colleagues at Sheba and Shaare Zedek Medical Centers in Israel recently suggested that otherwise-healthy Muslims suffering from migraine attacks during the Ramadan fast ask their doctors for a prescription for etoricoxib (commercial name Arcoxia) to prevent the headaches that come with fasting.[6]
Tachycardia, Severe Headaches, Dizziness, Nausea, Vomiting and Circulatory Collapse
The following study was carried out on Turkish Muslims in Germany who were involved in heavy and manual work. 'Moderate to severe health disturbances' including severe dehydration were found in such laborers during Ramadan:
Abstract
During Ramadan, Moslems are required strictly to avoid fluids and nourishment from dawn to sunset. Heat stress during such abstinence represents a substantial health hazard. In the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) where numerous Moslems, particularly of Turkish origin, perform heat work and other heavy labour, we observed moderate to severe health disturbances in such labourers during Ramadan, e.g.: tachycardia, severe headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and circulatory collapse. The severe dehydration of these workers was demonstrated by substantial increases in their hematocrit, serum protein, urea, creatinine, uric acid and electrolyte imbalance.
Because of the evidence of the substantial health hazard to Islamic workers in such situations, we have strongly urged employers to refrain from assigning Islamic workers to heat work or heavy daytime work during Ramadan; we have therefore limited systematic studies of health problems during Ramadan to persons performing only moderate work. Even under these conditions signs of dehydration were found in the 32 labourers monitored. Some of these labourers also had to interrupt their observance of Ramadan due to health problems, e.g.: acute gout due to serum uric acid increase, or circulatory insufficiency. In light of the observed potentially harmful pathophysiological effects, the danger of dehydration of Islamic workers due to heat work during Ramadan should be taken very seriously.[7]
Naturally we would expect that this would affect productivity, as is evidenced in a later section on Economical effects.
Affect on Circadian Patterns and Sleep Disorders
The results of the following study can lead us to conclude that fasting negatively effects an individual's circadian rhythm. As a result, unfavorable side-effects such as lethargy and a lack of motivation, may contribute to a society's lack of productivity:
This change of meal schedule is accompanied with changes in sleep habits, such as delayed and shortened sleep periods, which may affect endocrine and neuroendocrine circadian patterns. Several cardiovascular parameters (i.e., heart rate, blood pressure, vascular tone, and coagulation-fibrinolysis) show circadian pattern. Several studies reported that autonomic activity and melatonin rhtyhmicity may be responsible for circadian patterns of cardiovascular parameters.
Changes of sleep habit in Ramadan affects autonomic activity and melatonin rhtyhmicity. The other negative effects may be that, during fasting patients with cardiovascular disease cannot consume medications, such as anti-ischemic, anti-platelet, anti-hypertensive drugs, and drugs of heart failure on time. Some patients may get admitted to the hospital with cardiovascular symptoms owing to failure of therapy.[8]
A new study by scientists in the United States has revealed that pregnant Muslim women who fast during Ramadan are likely to have smaller babies who will be more prone to learning disabilities in adulthood.
The researchers also found that the women were 10 per cent less likely to give birth to a boy if they had fasted during Ramadan. The trend was clearest if the fasting was done early in the women’s pregnancy, and during the summer months, when long hours of daylight called for them to go longer without food.
Binge eating, headaches and increase in gastric acidity
'Binge eating is a fairly common habit during the Ramadan period, especially as the day is spent without eating or drinking,' says Anjali Dange, Dietitian at Welcare Hospital.
"During the initial days of fasting, you may encounter slight dizziness as well as frequent headaches."
Dr Phadke says that fasting can also increase levels of gastric acidity in the stomach which can cause burning and heaviness, and sometimes a sour taste in the mouth.[1]
During Ramadan most of the population sleep during the day, with the iftar beginning at sundown: large feasts at which many end up eating so much they need to be taken to hospital casualty wards, with a record high almost 8,000 cases of indigestion recorded at the Hamad Medical Hospital emergency room solely in the first week of Ramadan 2011.[15]
Dr. Muhammad Alabdooni, a Muslim and the chairman of the Dutch Moroccan Physicians Association, also maintains there is no scientific proof that Islamic fasting is physiologically beneficial.[16]
Increases the toxicity of commonly used medication
Fasting has been found to significantly change drug metabolism and deplete crucial chemicals in the liver needed to detoxify medication.
Paracetemol (also called acetaminophen) is one of the most commonly used drugs to treat day to day pain such as headaches or gastrointestinal pain, this is the very same pain that is likely to be encountered by a fasting individual. Therefore, a significant risk arises when someone who has been fasting takes this common medication (among many others).
As the Journal of Internal Medicine Reports:
Paracetamol-related hepatotoxicity is now the most common cause of the potentially devastating clinical syndrome of acute liver failure in many western countries. In patients who develop liver damage following moderate paracetamol overdose in the order of 5–10 g daily, recent fasting and nutritional impairment have been identified as key precipitants. In keeping with experience in the modest paracetamol overdose setting [6], it is likely that fasting occurring on a background of longstanding diminished caloric intake and severe malnutrition played an important role in the development of paracetamol-induced liver damage at recommended dosage of 4 g daily in this patient. Fasting and malnutrition result in reduction of hepatic levels of glutathione, required for inactivation of N-acetyl-p-benzoquinonimine, the toxic metabolite of paracetamol [6]. A 16-h period of fasting is sufficient to substantially deplete hepatic glutathione stores in mice [11]. [17]
Social Effects
Irritability
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that people in Morocco are more irritable during the month of Ramadan than during the rest of the year. Our objectives were to measure irritability in fasting Muslims during the month of Ramadan, to describe its various modes of expression, and to examine risk factors for this irritability.
METHODS AND SUBJECTS: We studied 100 healthy volunteers during the month of Ramadan for two successive years (1994 and 1995). All subjects were male (mean age, 32+/-5.8 years), and 51% of them were smokers. Irritability was assessed over a 6-week period (before, four times during, and after the end of Ramadan). We assessed both subjective (visual analog scale) and objective irritability. We also recorded the consumption of psychostimulants, duration of sleep, and anxiety level as measured by the Hamilton Anxiety Scale.
RESULTS: Irritability was significantly higher in smokers than in nonsmokers before the beginning of Ramadan. It was higher in both groups during the Ramadan month. Irritability increased continuously during Ramadan and reached its peak at the end of the month. Consumption of psychostimulants (coffee and tea) and anxiety level followed the same pattern. Smokers and nonsmokers had a similar pattern of irritability over time, but irritability increased more in smokers than in nonsmokers.[18]
Wael Bakor, 29, marketing manager at a major company in Jeddah, expressed regret at the attitude of employees. “Unfortunately, people become more tense and irritated during Ramadan. One can easily notice the bad moods, the tension and the inability to put up with anyone or anything,” he said.[19]
Crime Rate
In a study done on the Arab world,[3] experts claimed that increases in blood crimes (+1.5%) and theft (+3.5%) were observed during Ramadan.
[Egypt] In the past few years, Ramadan — a month usually reserved for pious contemplation and reverence — has been marred by an alarming rise in violent crime, experts have said.[20]
Director of Jakarta Police’s General Crime Unit, Sr. Comr. Muhammad Iriawan called on Jakarta residents to be alert as crimes tended to increase during the fasting month of Ramadan.
...
Iriawan said crimes such as house break-ins and robberies tend to increase during Ramadan, when the need for extra money was high because of the festivities.[21]
official of the Jakarta city administration, A Sjarief Mustafa, says that the number of prostitutes caught by his office had increased from 94, before Ramadan, to 264 during it. He also said that the numbers of beggars had increased. He claimed that the incidence of social ills such as begging and prostitution always increased during the "holy month", and said that people from the provinces often used the "momentum" of Ramadan to come to Jakarta and seek money from the Jakarta's residents.[22]
The Passports Department in Makkah arrested over 1,800 persons suspected of pickpocketing and stealing from pilgrims and visitors during the [2011] Umrah and Ramadan seasons ... Hussein stated that the advancement in technology, particularly facial recognition, reduced crimes tremendously in previous years.[23]
Child Trafficking
With the advent of Ramadan in just a few days, child trafficking, a trade that sometimes goes unpunished in Yemen, is expected to increase as food prices rise and parents struggle to provide for their children.
"I think during Ramadan prices rise and there is a lapse of security along the borders," Coordinator of Child Parliament Om Khalthoum said.
Almost 1,500 Yemeni children were saved by child protection centers from exploitation, abuse and deprivation that come at the hands of their traffickers or smugglers, according to Naseem Ur-Rahman of UNICEF. Yemeni children, primarily boys, are trafficked into Saudi Arabia for exploitation as beggars, street vendors and unskilled laborers.
While there are no statistics that determine how many children are trafficked on an annual basis, authorities do know that during the month of Ramadan the numbers rise. "One of the main problems is that there is a lack of reliable data," Ur-Rahman said.[24]
Emergency Services
Increase in Accidents
In 1994, the Accident and Emergency Department of St Mary's Hospital in London conducted a study to examine if accident and emergency attendances increased during Ramadan for Muslim patients. At the time, the department was treating 55,000 new patients every year:
The results are shown in Table 1. This demonstrates a significant rise in the number of Muslims attending during Ramadan compared to non-Muslims, with the proportion of Muslims rising from 3.63% of total attendances in the periods before and after Ramadan to 5.11% during Ramadan (P=0.0024). The rise in non accident-related attendances among Muslims was also significant when compared to non-Muslims (P=0.027) [...][25]
An increase in road traffic accidents in the United Arab Emirates during Ramadan was reported.[26] Taking this into consideration, you would expect Emergency Services in Muslim majority nations to work twice as hard during this period. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Disruption of Services
In August, 2010, Mustafa Mor, who was involved in a road accident in Turkey, was left waiting on a stretcher due to the X-ray service being closed for fast-breaking.
investigation after a patient waited at the door of an X-ray service in a hospital, which was closed for half an hour at the time for fast-breaking.
Mustafa Mor’s car went off the road and crashed into a tree in the Nizip district of the southern province of Gaziantep. Bekir Karabacak, a passerby, took him and his cousin, who has the same name and was a passenger in the vehicle, to the Nizip Public Hospital. The doctors thought that the passenger Mor might have had a broken leg and sent him to the X-ray service.
The health care personnel took Mor on a stretcher to the X-ray service, where they found a note that said, “I am having dinner, I am about to return,” hanging on the door. Karabacak, who had taken him to the hospital, said: “We are also fasting. Should this place be closed? There is an injured man here, and this is a hospital.” After Mor waited half an hour, the staff returned from dinner.
Cengiz Öztop, the chief physician of Nizip Public Hospital, claimed that there was no neglect in the situation.[27]
Search and rescue teams in Kocaeli, Turkey, had also stopped working due to Ramadan.
Search and rescue teams including 200 people who were working on the beaches of the western province of Kocaeli have stopped working due to Ramadan. Vacationers have criticized the decision and said that people swam in the area unperturbedly thanks to the rescue teams. According to the vacationers, the shores will be full of people until the schools start. Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality officers said that they would review the decision once again.[27]
Reduced Blood Donation
Blood Transfusion Organization announced that blood donations have dropped by 35 percent since the beginning of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan (Sept. 25).[28]
The same news source said that "each blood unit can save three lives". This implies that Ramadan also results in loss of life since life-saving blood donations drop by one-third.
Physical Exhaustion and Incapacitation
Another study takes a look at fasting Muslims who were stricken with lethargy and fatigue due to the behavioral changes that accompany the month long celebration.
Abstract
This study was conducted in five provinces and food consumption, physical activity types and duration for 3 consecutive days were recorded in the questionnaire together with some general characteristics of 750 (320 males, 430 females) adults who were on fast during Ramadan at time of interview. One hundred and eighty-seven subjects had some type of health problems, among whom 60.4% were using drugs, and 31.6% were on diets; however, during Ramadan 9.7 and 18.8% of the subjects dropped taking drugs and did not regularly keep on diets, respectively.
During the fasting time, from dawn to sunset, 34.3% of the subjects developed some behavioural disturbances, such as feeling tired and being unwilling to work. Although the meal consumed at dawn consisted of foods that were usually eaten at breakfast, the meal consumed at sunset consisted of a great variety of foods. Calcium intake was the most insufficiently consumed nutrient. It was observed that the daily energy intakes were less than the expenditures both in males and females. Further research should be done on the effects of fasting in health and disease.[29]
In September 2009, Stephen Constantine, Head coach of Sudan partly blamed his side’s loss to the Black Stars to the fasting of most of his players. [30] In Italy, both a prominent coach and a team owner in the top Serie A league linked the rigors of Ramadan's sunrise-to-sunset fasting to Muslim players' poor performance on the pitch. [31]
Violence and Anti-Social Behavior Towards Non-Muslims
The month of Ramadan often sees an increase in violence and anti-social behavior towards religious minorities living among a large Muslim population.[32] In some Muslim majority countries like Algeria,[33] Morocco,[34] Pakistan,[35] Saudi Arabia,[36] and in parts of the United Arab Emirates,[37] it is against the law to eat or drink in public during fasting hours, and violating these laws can involve jail-time or expulsion.
Last year [2009] during Ramadan, there was an upsurge against Christians in the Muslim world," says Jerry Dykstra of Open Doors, USA. Dykstra says that although persecution did not increase in every Muslim nation, it did increase significantly in many of them, Egypt being one of the worst.
During Ramadan last year in Egypt, a church was burned to the ground.
At least 155 Egyptian Christians were arrested for not participating in Ramadan. Last September, Rody Rodeheaver with I.N. Network explained that Ramadan "is a time when Muslims who are moderate often become much more aggressive about their faith, and they [see it] as a time to be aggressive as they deal with Christians." Rodeheaver also noted that many people are somewhat psychologically distraught by a lack of food since Muslims are required to fast during Ramadan.
This year, with tension rising after Muslim attacks on Christians in Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan and other nations just before Ramadan, prospects don't look much better. The potential for a swell in persecution in the next 28 days is high.
Ramadan--August 11 to September--is especially daunting for Muslim converts to Christianity.[32]
Hocine Hocini, 44, and Salem Fellak, 34, were arrested on August 13 [2010] on the building site where they worked in the northern region of Kabylie [Algeria] after they were spotted eating lunch. The pair admit to eating but insist it happened in a discreet place. Muslims are not allowed to eat during daylight hours during the Ramadan holy month. In Algeria breaking the fast can be punished with three months in jail.
"I am optimistic," Hocini, a Protestant with a one-month-old daughter, said as he left the courtroom in Ain el Hammam after the hearing. "I have no regrets, I'm Christian and assume my responsibilities. We are innocent, and we haven't done any harm to anyone...We are Christians and we have not eaten in a public place."
The verdict is due on October 5. The prosecutor called for the full three months in prison for both men.[33]
Police in Pakistan arrested two Christians for eating during the Islamic fasting season of Ramadan in the city of Silanwali on Aug. 25 [2009], reports Michael Ireland, chief correspondent, ASSIST News Service.
. . .
. . .
In a media release, ICC says that after the waiter served them tea and a snack, several policemen started to question them as to why they were desecrating Ramadan by eating during the Islamic fasting season. The two Christians told the police that since they are Christians, they are not supposed to fast during Ramadan.
. . .
. . .
Azzaq Bhatti, the father of Gull Masih and paternal uncle of Ashir Sohail, in an interview with ICC said that, "during Lent, all Muslims eat, drink and smoke publicly and neither police nor government authorities take notice of it. And none of the Muslims are arrested for desecrating Christians' Lent season."
ICC's Jonathan Racho said: "Forcing Christians to fast during the Islamic fasting month is both outrageous and a clear violation of freedom of religion. We call upon Pakistani officials to immediately release Gull and Ashir and take appropriate legal measures against police officers who detained them."[38]
Ramadan-inspired violence against non-Muslims and non-observant Muslims is on the increase in secular societies. Notable incidents include; a Jewish women in Toulouse, France, being called a "dirty Jew" and struck on the head by two Muslim teenagers for buying food during fasting hours; a Muslim man in a central Lyon Restaurant struck in the head with a glass bottle and hit with a chair by three youths for not respecting Ramadan;[39] an 11-year-old in Sydney, Australia, chased and later beaten by Muslim students because he ate a salami sandwich during Ramadan;[40] a Turkish MP in Berlin, Germany, beaten by restaurant staff for ordering pork sausages;[41] and the following report is of an atheist living in the United Kingdom:
Monzur Rahman was left with a broken arm, damaged eye and lying unconscious in the street after the violent attack earlier this month. The 39-year-old atheist claims he was brutally set upon by a pack of youths for failing to observe Ramadan.
Arif Raham, a friend of Monzur (who speaks little English), relayed to the Advertiser his terrifying story. He said Monzur had been chatting with a friend who was drinking during Ramadan.
He claims he was then approached by a group of around ten young men who asked him why he wasn’t observing Ramadan. When he replied that he was an atheist they are believed to have chased him to nearby Walburgh Street, attacking him outside his home.
Monzur was reportedly battered until unconscious and later taken to the Royal London Hospital. His left arm was broken and metal bolts later put in. Tower Hamlets police have made no arrests and enquiries are ongoing.[42]
Economical Effects
As some of the above studies established, fasting can cause dehydration, sleep disorders and other harmful affects. Naturally all of this would affect productivity and the national economy. Those living in Muslim majority nations can readily feel the effects of stagnation that accompanies the month of Ramadan.
In such places, it is a month that is marked by very low productivity. When the entire population of a country observes fasting during the time they are at work, it is inevitable that they will suffer a significant loss in general productivity. In a survey carried out by Cairo’s Institute of Social Sciences of the Arab World it is found that the productivity of Arab businesses during the month of Ramadan dropped by a staggering 78%:
In such places, it is a month that is marked by very low productivity. When the entire population of a country observes fasting during the time they are at work, it is inevitable that they will suffer a significant loss in general productivity. In a survey carried out by Cairo’s Institute of Social Sciences of the Arab World it is found that the productivity of Arab businesses during the month of Ramadan dropped by a staggering 78%:
During Ramadan, the productivity of Arab businesses drops by 78%. The essential factors? Fewer work hours, absenteeism, and sick leave. (...) The figures are included in a survey carried out by Cairòs Institute of Social Sciences of the Arab World which was printed today by 'Leaders', a Tunisian website. (ANSAmed)[3]
Production in almost all businesses in Morocco drops during the month of Ramadan, analysts say, although consumption increases significantly:
Work hours are shorter during Ramadan, with employees working seven-hour days compared to the regular 8.5-hour days. Some businesses don't open until 10 am, and school timetables change to accommodate the Ramadan calendar.
"The drop in productivity could be due to the disruption of the body clock," said A. Hamdi, who works in an industrial unit. "It is difficult to get used to the work day.
In addition to the women who race home to make iftar, others are sneaking out earlier to avoid traffic jams, which usually start at 4 pm with the end of the normal working day."[43]
Low productivity during Ramadan affects Dubai employees
Performance in most companies, institutions and government departments around the Arab world is usually at a low during the month of Ramadan, with poor productivity and constant reported absences.[44]
Performance in most companies, institutions and government departments around the Arab world is usually at a low during the month of Ramadan, with poor productivity and constant reported absences.[44]
Alaa Al-Mohammadi, 27, works as a teaching assistant at King Abdul Aziz University, which, during Ramadan, opens between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Al-Mohammadi noticed the low level of productivity during the month of Ramadan, especially among students. “On account of the nature of the month when people stay up all night, absenteeism increases among students,” she said.[19]
"Jordanian workers in general are not hard working and in Ramadan, employees frequently are absent or ask for leave, a notable phenomenon that negatively affects the overall economic performance," economist Salameh Darawi told The Jordan Times over the phone Wednesday. Economic analyst Hussam Ayesh said productivity drops by about 50 per cent in the public and private sectors during Ramadan.[45]
Comments from Muslims and former Muslims
An employee at a construction material company, who preferred anonymity, said: "Everything is slow in Ramadan and I myself tend to delay work. The only fast thing I see in Ramadan is lunatic drivers speeding to get home."[45]
In Ramzan the working hours are nine to one. That’s it. And in these four hours work is the last thing on the workers’ mind. Go to any government office during these four hours and you will encounter a grouchy, lazy and sick-of-life person with bad breath (apparently even brushing your teeth in the morning is not kosher if you are fasting). No matter how urgent your work, leave the place and come back after two and a half months in the third week of Muharram. This man is in no mood to do anything. He’d rather go home and watch an Indian movie till he breaks fast.[46]
I couldn't concentrate in school. I had nasty heart burn all morning, because we'd wake up at an ungodly hour to gorge! [...] There are many women in my life and some of them are extremely old with various medical conditions. They all feel compelled to fast. It drives me insane![47]
Conclusion
Intermittent and prolonged fasting is generally not conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Depriving the body of water and essential nutrients by dividing and postponing meals to irregular intervals does nothing to limit consumption. In-fact it causes a host of health, performance and mood disorders. Fasting is not normally prescribed for the well being of human beings.
Instead, it is commonly understood that eating healthy, smaller-portioned meals, interspersed throughout the day is far better in maintaining a well-balanced diet and far more forgiving on a person's metabolism. Any claims that prolonged and intermittent fasting contributes to the well-being of an individual's health are misleading, based on the scientific studies that prove otherwise. If the Islamic argument in favor of fasting is that “we fast because Allah commanded us to do so," then it is obvious that Allah is not a nutritionist or a dietitian because the negatives definitely outweigh the positives.
So the question to the Muslim world is: keeping in mind the above adverse affects of fasting observed in studies, what benefit does the Muslim world get for 1 billion people staying hungry throughout the day for one full month every year? Did Allah actually want Muslims to suffer physically, socially and economically for one month every year? Also, if fasting is beneficial as Muslims claim, why do Muslims not fast the entire year instead of just one month?
Responses to Apologetics
- "Most of the evidence provided is from newspaper articles. Not very scientific is it?"
The claim that "most of the evidence provided is from news paper articles" is false. The majority of this page references and quotes directly from the conclusions of scientific studies. It also quotes medical experts and statistics provided by Medical facilities. As for the news articles quoted here, they are reliable sources that reference and describe the conclusions of scientific studies. For an indepth section by section response, see the 'talk' page, or simply view the references provided below. - "Muslims do not fast in Ramadan so they can be healthy. They fast because Allah commanded them to."
This is true. But many Muslims attempt to justify this unhealthy practice by claiming it is healthy. Besides, if Allah is all-knowing and merciful, he would not endanger his followers' health by making a hazardous activity become compulsory. However, it would make complete sense if we were to accept he is ignorant of science or a sadist. But then why would anyone want to worship such a deity? - "Islam is just one of numerous religions (Hinduism, Christianity, Catholicism etc.) that prescribe fasting for its people."
This claim is true, but also very disingenuous. Rules vary but fasting in Christianity is not compulsory, nor is it expected to be a complete fast. Meaning Christians generally reduce (not stop) their intake of food, and also drink freely during fasts. This is perfectly healthy and not comparable to Islam. Similarly in Hinduism, fasting is a part of the religion, but individuals observe different kinds of fasts based on their personal beliefs and local customs.[48] This argument is also a logical fallacy known as ad hominem tu quoque. Meaning it is not a valid defense of Islam, but a diversion that some may construe as an indirect admission of Islam's flaws.
https://wikiislam.net/wiki/Adverse_Effects_of_Islamic_Fasting
THE WORKPLACE FACTOR
Employers hiring Muslims should be aware of Islam's requirement not only for day fasting during the month of Ramadan, but for year-long extra breaks to pray five times a day, and other religious needs. Failure to accommodate them may result in expensive lawsuits.
ONLY about 1 percent of the U.S. population is Muslim and practices Islam, but 40 percent of religion-based workplace complaints filed with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission in 2015 were Islam-related and filed by Muslims. The agency has pursued a wide range of disputes, including whether Muslims can be fired for refusing to handle pork or alcohol at work.
http://www.barenakedislam.com/2016/08/20/never-hire-a-muslim-american-businesses-are-not-following-this-advice-and-are-getting-sued-for-failing-to-accommodate-muslim-religious-demands/
CAIR, Council on American Islamic Relations, is a Muslim activist organization that encourages Muslims to sue Americans for an assortment of reasons.
CAIR was created by the extreme Islamist organization Muslim Brotherhood
10 Facts About CAIR:
- CAIR was created by the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic supremacist organization that pioneered 20th century Islamic terrorism and sanctions violence against civilians.
- CAIR only has about 5,000 members, despite a membership fee of just $10.
- CAIR represents the opinions of only 12% of Muslim-Americans according to Gallup.
- CAIR receives financial support from foreign powers who have also provided direct support to Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda and Hamas.
- CAIR has solicited money from sponsors of terror and received financial support from convicted terrorists.
- CAIR founders have praised terrorists to Muslim audiences and said that suicide bombers are acting on behalf of Islam.
- CAIR has raised funds for terrorists under the guise of helping 9/11 victims.
- CAIR board members have called for the overthrow of the United States and the imposition of Islamic law. CAIR has suggested applying Sharia punishment (ie. the death penalty) to users who criticize Islam on the Internet.
- At least 15 high-level CAIR staff members have been under federal investigation for ties to Islamic terror.
- CAIR has discouraged Muslim-Americans from cooperating with law enforcement and has spent more time and money advocating on behalf of convicted terrorists than for their victims.
READ MORE ABOUT CAIR
READ MORE
about Muslim American complaints, and cases of litigation against American employers who do not respect Sharia Law.
REFERENCES
ISLAM IN THE WEST
BREITBART - Migrant crisis latest news
http://www.breitbart.com/tag/europe-migrant-crisis/
Bare Naked Islam
http://www.barenakedislam.com/
The Muslim Issue
https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/
MUSLIM STATISTICS
https://muslimstatistics.wordpress.com/
Tundra Tabloids
http://tundratabloids.com/
Allah's Willing Executioners
Jihad Watch
Soeren Kern
http://soerenkern.com/
Gates of Vienna
http://gatesofvienna.net/
Frontpage Magazine
http://www.frontpagemag.com/
Creeping Sharia
https://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/
Refugee Resettlement Watch
https://refugeeresettlementwatch.wordpress.com/
Money Jihad (recommended)
https://moneyjihad.wordpress.com/
Sharia Finance Watch
http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/
Geert Wilders
http://www.geertwilders.nl/
Andrew Bostom
Vlad Tepes
http://vladtepesblog.com/
The Islamization of Europe and European Anti-Semitism
Columns by Dr Manfred Gerstenfeld
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Author.aspx/908
Palestinian Media Watch
MORE ON ISLAM IN THE WORLD
The Religion of Peace
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
The Myths of Islam
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Myths-of-Islam.htm
Islam's history
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/History.htm
Islam not a religion of peace - ten reasons
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Top-10-Reasons.htm
Killings for Islam
http://markhumphrys.com/islam.killings.html
WikiIslam
http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Main_Page
Koran as hate speech
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Quran-Hate.htm
Islam terror and genocide through the centuries
http://www.islam-watch.org/MA_Khan/IncessantTerrorism.htm
Professor Bill Warner: Video - Why we are afraid
For a brief and fascinating look at Islam and why we are afraid, watch Professor Bill Warner's chat on the history of Islam. He'll tell you facts that are being deliberately obscured by the media and other politically correct institutions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Qpy0mXg8Y&list=PL-AzW58MV80GBfg0XDg47Y7r6czbHtRay&index=3
Dr. Bill Warner on Deception in Islam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg5TY5CPrzk
Professor Bill Warner - Political Islam
Islam has been subjugating the world for 1400 years
https://www.politicalislam.com/
The greatest genocide in history: Islam's slaughter of non-Muslimshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Qpy0mXg8Y&list=PL-AzW58MV80GBfg0XDg47Y7r6czbHtRay&index=3
Dr. Bill Warner on Deception in Islam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg5TY5CPrzk
Professor Bill Warner - Political Islam
Islam has been subjugating the world for 1400 years
https://www.politicalislam.com/
Other sources
Mark Humphrys' in-depth article on Islam's violence with numerous links to different subjects exposing Islam's true nature.
http://markhumphrys.com/islam.killings.html
ISIS is selling women as slaves. Nothing new, as you can see. Slavery is part of Islam
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/015-slavery.htm
Myths of Islam -
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Myths-of-Islam.htm
The four stages of Islamic conquest (when not by outright invasion, as in the case of ISIS) - http://civilusdefendus.wordpress.com/2010/01/10/4-stages-of-islamic-conquest/
What the Koran says about violence -
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/023-violence.htm
Islam and human rights
http://markhumphrys.com/islam.human.rights.html
RAPE IN ISLAM
https://wikiislam.net/wiki/Rape_in_Islam
Arab Slave Trade (ongoing)
http://www.arabslavetrade.com/
https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/the-arab-slave-trade-and-200-million-non-muslim-slaves-of-all-skin-colors/
Mark Humphrys' in-depth article on Islam's violence with numerous links to different subjects exposing Islam's true nature.
http://markhumphrys.com/islam.killings.html
ISIS is selling women as slaves. Nothing new, as you can see. Slavery is part of Islam
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/015-slavery.htm
Myths of Islam -
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Myths-of-Islam.htm
The four stages of Islamic conquest (when not by outright invasion, as in the case of ISIS) - http://civilusdefendus.wordpress.com/2010/01/10/4-stages-of-islamic-conquest/
What the Koran says about violence -
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/023-violence.htm
Islam and human rights
http://markhumphrys.com/islam.human.rights.html
RAPE IN ISLAM
https://wikiislam.net/wiki/Rape_in_Islam
Arab Slave Trade (ongoing)
http://www.arabslavetrade.com/
https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/the-arab-slave-trade-and-200-million-non-muslim-slaves-of-all-skin-colors/
Conservative estimate: 270 million killed
http://www.politicalislam.com/tears-of-jihad/
Bill Warner's YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0Uu4XnRS1hiz3JCpNFIuUg
No, Mr. President, Islamics are the real Islam -
Their behavior is based on the Koran and the Hadith.
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/08/no-mr-president-islamics-are-real-islam.html
Six times the White House said its job is to promote Islam
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2015/01/six-times-white-house-said-its-job-is.html
Professor of Middle East studies says there is no religious difference between ISIS and Saudi Arabia. They both govern based on the same religious texts. The difference is only one of degrees in the application of religious texts.
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2015/01/no-religious-difference-between-isis.html
300,000 Muslim immigrants came into the US in 2013 (numbers increased in 2014)
http://pamelageller.com/2015/01/obama-imported-300000-muslims-into-the-us-in-2013.html/
Islam and the Koran
Example:
Quran (8:12) - "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them" No reasonable person would interpret this to mean a spiritual struggle.
Read more
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/023-violence.htm
More on Islam
The Myths of Islam
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Myths-of-Islam.htm
Islam's history
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/History.htm
Islam not a religion of peace - ten reasons
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Top-10-Reasons.htm
Killings for Islam
http://markhumphrys.com/islam.killings.html
WikiIslam
http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Main_Page
Koran as hate speech
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Quran-Hate.htm
Islam terror and genocide through the centuries
http://www.islam-watch.org/MA_Khan/IncessantTerrorism.htm
Daily news from the world of Islam
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
More references
Jihad Watch
Palestinian Media Watch
The Religion of Peace
Creeping Sharia
The Muslim Issue
Militant Islam Monitor
Barenaked Islam
Gates of Vienna
Money Jihad
Andrew Bostom
Prof. Bill Warner
His YouTube channel (recommended)
Political Islam - Prof Bill Warner
Soeren Kern
http://soerenkern.com/
The Islamization of Europe and European Anti-Semitism
Columns by Dr Manfred Gerstenfeld
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Author.aspx/908
The Islamization of Europe and European Anti-Semitism
Columns by Dr Manfred Gerstenfeld
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Author.aspx/908
Geert Wilders
Tundra Tabloids
http://tundratabloids.com/
Infidel Bloggers Alliance
http://ibloga.blogspot.ca/
Arab Slave Trade (ongoing)
http://www.arabslavetrade.com/
https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/the-arab-slave-trade-and-200-million-non-muslim-slaves-of-all-skin-colors/
Infidel Bloggers Alliance
http://ibloga.blogspot.ca/
Arab Slave Trade (ongoing)
http://www.arabslavetrade.com/
https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/the-arab-slave-trade-and-200-million-non-muslim-slaves-of-all-skin-colors/
The greatest genocide
At least 250 million non-Muslims slaughtered by Islam through the centuries
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/06/the-greatest-genocides-in-history-islam.html
Wikiislam
http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Main_Page
At least 250 million non-Muslims slaughtered by Islam through the centuries
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/06/the-greatest-genocides-in-history-islam.html
Wikiislam
http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Main_Page
Professor Bill Warner on Islam:
Why we are afraid
Why we are afraid
For a brief and fascinating look at Islam and why we are afraid, watch Professor Bill Warner's chat on the history of Islam. He'll tell you facts that are being deliberately obscured by the media and other politically correct institutions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Qpy0mXg8Y&list=PL-AzW58MV80GBfg0XDg47Y7r6czbHtRay&index=3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Qpy0mXg8Y&list=PL-AzW58MV80GBfg0XDg47Y7r6czbHtRay&index=3
Prof. Bill Warner's YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0Uu4XnRS1hiz3JCpNFIuUg
Interview with Bill Warner
http://www.politicalislam.com/blog/the-study-of-political-islam/
Bill Warner on Islam
http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Bill_Warner
Interview with Bill Warner
http://www.politicalislam.com/blog/the-study-of-political-islam/
Bill Warner on Islam
http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Bill_Warner
Other sources
Mark Humphrys' in-depth article on Islam's violence with numerous links to different subjects exposing Islam's true nature.
http://markhumphrys.com/islam.killings.html
American school children being indoctrinated with Islamic ideology
http://www.barenakedislam.com/2015/04/08/american-parents-did-you-know-that-public-schools-are-indoctrinating-your-children-with-islamic-teachings/
ISIS is selling women as slaves. Nothing new, as you can see. Slavery is part of Islam
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/015-slavery.htm
Myths of Islam -
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Myths-of-Islam.htm
The four stages of Islamic conquest (when not by outright invasion, as in the case of ISIS) - http://civilusdefendus.wordpress.com/2010/01/10/4-stages-of-islamic-conquest/
What the Koran says about violence -
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/023-violence.htm
Islam and human rights
http://markhumphrys.com/islam.human.rights.html
Mark Humphrys' in-depth article on Islam's violence with numerous links to different subjects exposing Islam's true nature.
http://markhumphrys.com/islam.killings.html
American school children being indoctrinated with Islamic ideology
http://www.barenakedislam.com/2015/04/08/american-parents-did-you-know-that-public-schools-are-indoctrinating-your-children-with-islamic-teachings/
ISIS is selling women as slaves. Nothing new, as you can see. Slavery is part of Islam
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/015-slavery.htm
Myths of Islam -
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/Myths-of-Islam.htm
The four stages of Islamic conquest (when not by outright invasion, as in the case of ISIS) - http://civilusdefendus.wordpress.com/2010/01/10/4-stages-of-islamic-conquest/
What the Koran says about violence -
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/023-violence.htm
Islam and human rights
http://markhumphrys.com/islam.human.rights.html
More Islam-related articles on this blog
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/search/label/Ideologies%20-%20Religions%20-%20Cults%20-%20Islam
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