Sam Harris once observed that, if Islam was truly a Religion of Peace, then surely its extremists should be extremely peaceful? One might also add that the Religion of Peace’s holiest month ought to rightly be marked for outpourings of peace. Instead, the reverse is true. Data shows that attacks and subsequent deaths are significantly higher during Ramadan. Even casual, interpersonal violence – road rage, domestic violence – appears to surge during Ramadan. In fact, Muslims even have a name for it:
Ramadan Rage. Quote:
Whilst Ramadan is something many of us may actually look forward too – for others it can be quite a troublesome period.
Last year, I was at the other end of several Ramadan rage incidents. The first happened when I was picking my child up from school…Road rage incidents in parts of the Middle East increase at this time of year. In some cases those fasting are in a hurry to get home and will end-up speeding. Other times you can become irate almost instantly. It is understandable I guess with the high temperatures and searing sun…
But if you think about it, women actually do take the full brunt of these anger management incidents.
I would go as far as to say it is the unseen abuse.
They have to put up with the short tempers of their fathers, brothers and sons in the lead up to Iftari (fast-breaking) time. They must ensure that the Iftari meal is served up whilst at the same time having to deal endless requests for the perfect dish. End of quote.
asianimage
To be fair, it’s not altogether unreasonable that, being hot and hungry might make people more than a little testy. Doubters might also point out that Christmas is legendarily a time of greater stress, too. Except that that’s mostly a myth. December is the least violent month, at least for the northern calendar.
More to the point, Christians tend not to mark their holy festival by blowing other religions up or mowing them down with rent-a-vans.
But, it’s not just Muslims who are well aware of the perils of Rage-a-dan. Quote:
French business owners in the city of Montpellier are calling on local government to provide increased security, arguing that violence has increased markedly during the Ramadan month over the last four years.
The business owners all operate in the neighbourhood of Gambetta and say that when Ramadan comes every year, they see an increase of violence that could negatively affect their businesses, French local news network Actu reports.
…the neighbourhood often sees stabbings, exchanges of gunfire and violent altercations and although police do respond to the incidents, he claimed that the perpetrators come back as soon as the officers leave. End of quote.
Gosh. Whodathunkit? Quote:
Violence across the Muslim world during the holy month, sometimes referred to as “Ramadan Rage“, has been linked to terror attacks and other violent incidents year after year.
In 2017, 3,343 people were casualties of violence during the holy month as a result of Islamic-linked violence with 1,639 killed in attacks. The following year thankfully saw a drop in the number of fatalities to 841, while the total number of casualties was down 45 per cent to 1,855. End of quote.
breitbart
Well, praise Allah for small mercies, I guess. It’s a Rage-a-dan miracle!