# Can we expect the Taliban to honor Ramadan? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 30, 2001, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-expect-the-taliban-to-honor-ramadan/90589 "2001-10-30T19:57:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-expect-the-taliban-to-honor-ramadan/90589/1 "2001-10-30T19:57:12Z")
[sub]Sorry if this isn’t a Great Debate, but I had the feeling it could become one…[/sub] Can we relax from terrorist activity during the month of Ramadan? Or will the Taliban probably continue their assault while at the same time abstaining from food, liquid and sex from dawn to sunset? Do the Taliban even honor Ramadan? (I’m not being a smart ass - I’m travelling abroad after Nov 17th and am wondering if I can relax a little) ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-expect-the-taliban-to-honor-ramadan/90589/2 "2001-10-30T20:10:18Z")
Just as Christians often wage war on Christmas (e.g. George Washington), Muslims often fight during Ramadan. One of the talking heads on CNN last night offered three examples: the Yom Kippur war in '73 (it was also Ramadan), the Iran-Iraq war during the '80s, and the war against the Russians in Afghanistan. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-expect-the-taliban-to-honor-ramadan/90589/3 "2001-10-31T00:31:09Z")
Thanks **Wumpus** , that’s what I figured. \ ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-expect-the-taliban-to-honor-ramadan/90589/4 "2001-10-31T00:51:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dooku \* > Can we relax from terrorist activity during the month of Ramadan? Or will the Taliban probably continue their assault while at the same time abstaining from food, liquid and sex from dawn to sunset? Do the Taliban even honor Ramadan? I am reminded of another popular holiday know as ‘Tet’. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-expect-the-taliban-to-honor-ramadan/90589/5 "2001-10-31T01:14:12Z")
I’ll bet the Taliban will still **arrest** non-combatants for not observing Ramadan, though. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![jack\_ss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c77e96/32.png) [@jack\_ss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_ss)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-expect-the-taliban-to-honor-ramadan/90589/6 "2001-10-31T02:39:19Z")
IANAMoslem, but I have several friends who are. Just off the top of my head, you are allowed to break fast during Ramadan if you are traveling or pregnant. You are not allowed to initiate conflict, but are allowed to defend yourself and not required to fast during Ramadan if you are defending yourself and fellow Moslems from attack. I don’t know how that squares with the Taliban/Al Qaida’s take on the Qu’ran. I don’t expect them to relent during the Holy month. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-expect-the-taliban-to-honor-ramadan/90589/7 "2001-11-02T00:36:44Z")
The Taliban is busy relocating weapons, ammunition, missiles, etc., in schools, mosques, and hospitals in the hope of blaming U.S. forces of deliberately targeting civilians when the bombs intended for the Taliban go astray. I don’t think they’re too worried about fighting during Ramadan. They’ve got too many other things to worry about, such as, chopping off women’s fingertips if they are polished, forcibly conscripting young men to fight on the front lines, and treating their women as less than animals. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-expect-the-taliban-to-honor-ramadan/90589/8 "2001-11-02T03:16:00Z")
Please excuse this outburst, but; Bwa Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-expect-the-taliban-to-honor-ramadan/90589/9 "2001-11-02T03:25:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Wumpus > Just as Christians often wage war on Christmas (e.g. George Washington) Didn’t he attack the morning after? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-expect-the-taliban-to-honor-ramadan/90589/10 "2001-11-02T03:26:55Z")
Hell, the Taliban don’t even honour ISLAM! ---
**Author:** ![reprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-expect-the-taliban-to-honor-ramadan/90589/11 "2001-11-02T03:39:17Z")
I’ve posted [this link regarding Ramadan](http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/pillars/fasting/tajuddin/fast_1.html) before (it’s an awful lot of information), but the bottom line is that there are so many exclusions to the requirement to observe Ramadan that the Taliban could continue to fight for the month of Ramadan without in any way violating the laws of Islam. ---
**Author:** ![drpepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@drpepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drpepper)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-expect-the-taliban-to-honor-ramadan/90589/12 "2001-11-02T04:06:40Z")
A couple of media people have put forth the defense that, in past conflicts, Iraqis and other Muslim groups fighting each other did not cease fire during Ramadan; so, if they didn’t do it themselves, why the heck should we? I don’t find that a convincing arguement though; it seems to me that those Muslims in power making such decisions could arguably be classified as extremists (eg, Iraq). That doesn’t mean that a salt-of-the-earth practicing Muslim wouldn’t stop fighting during his holy days. To take the moral high ground, I think it’s important to at least _consider_ the idea, somehow, of respecting Muslim holy days during the conflict we have going there, if nothing else to emphasize that this war is not against the Muslim people. In other words, let’s say someone was over here fighting Fred Phelps who was launching his own personal holy war against, oh, say, gays. Our old friend Fred decides to keep up his offensive (heh) during the Christmas or Easter holidays. Is it fair for the other side to conclude “Yeah, well, clearly Christians don’t find these days so sacred that they stop fighting… why should we?” ? This is an erroneous conclusion… Fred’s actions don’t necessarily reflect the level of thinking of other Christians. On the other hand, I also think the Taliban are crazy fuckers who piss on the Koran and therefore we have no obligation to honor _their_ conception of what’s holy (whatever that stance happens to be regarding their holidays). I know enough about them that the whole cultural relativism business is now out the window. Bombs away. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-expect-the-taliban-to-honor-ramadan/90589/13 "2001-11-02T19:10:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monty \* > \*\*Hell, the Taliban don’t even honour ISLAM! \*\* Superb point, **Monty**. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-expect-the-taliban-to-honor-ramadan/90589/14 "2001-11-02T21:05:33Z")
Thanks, Zenster. Iraq’s governing party is the Baath. The Baath are Socialists and are anti-religion. Any pretensions to religious provenance for their government’s (Saddam Hussein’s) positions is merely pablum for the ignorant masses. The point of honouring the Koranic edict against fighting during Ramadan IS NOT to make a point with the Taliban, but rather to show OUR ALLIES that we actually respect their religion enough to not ignore it for our own ends.