Timing

Wasted bread each evening

The cannon just fired ... time for the muslims to eat as sunset has begun. Now that the strict law of arresting muslims who violate the fasting during daytime, there are fewer muslims eating and drinking openly. But still you see them. They are tired ... tired of a tiny extremist group that tries to command their lives, enforce their views on the majority ... and of course the relentless heat which Ramadan falls for the past 5 years. The severing of ties by 4 arab countries with Qatar has embolden the moderate majority of muslims here to eat and drink in a discreet but not hidden way. That's because Qatar pays the extremists here ... and now that the funds are being cut off, the influence of the extremists are also collapsing.

But still the main feast begins when the cannon is fired. So much food is cooked and not all is eaten or given to the poor. This morning I saw boxes of bread by the roadside ... fed to the birds. What a shame. when the cannon is fired each evening, thousands of muslims gather in the Al Aqsa esplanade for a free meal that other muslims offer. Well they should be poor ... but we see them arriving in BMWs, parking outside the Old City then enter the mosque to be"poor" to get a free meal.

Lock-down of my street

Last night I came home at 9.30pm after work and found my street was locked down by the police. Something must have happened but nobody was saying. Everyone was turned away and only residents in our neighbourhood were allowed to enter to go home. I wonder what happened.

The past 4 nights I had to work ... i.e. meet a pilgrim group. It got very tiring as I have to walk up 1km in the very hot weather at the exact time between 5pm and 5.45pm in order to avoid the crowds of muslims entering the Old City to pray. Then coming home is a lot more tricky. The only window which allows you to enter the Old City is 8pm to 9pm while all the muslims are eating. The streets are empty. But once dinner is over, tens of thousands will flock out of the Old City to walk, chat and watch street performances till 3am. So it gets very stressful for me as I have to time myself just right. Last Sunday after visiting a Singapore group I was stuck outside Damascus Gate for 2 and a half hours before I could even try to enter the City. That was 11.45pm!!! I am really tired of all this work in the night. Daytime I have 2 libraries to supervise and so many classes to teach. It's summer!!!! Give me a break!!!