# Ramadan? Big Hypocrisy? Muslims Please Chime in **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 11, 2010, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramadan-big-hypocrisy-muslims-please-chime-in/549917 "2010-08-11T06:14:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramadan-big-hypocrisy-muslims-please-chime-in/549917/61 "2014-07-23T01:33:58Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > So, in a discussion with an Orthodox Jew, about how God wants Jews to act… you cite the New Testament. > > Good job. I’m sure that’ll be super-effective. You left out the key detail where the citation was contained within a post about how Protestants interpret the will of God. Considering that this thread is about Ramadan, I don’t see how introducing Matthew is any crazier than Shabbat. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramadan-big-hypocrisy-muslims-please-chime-in/549917/62 "2014-07-23T21:56:56Z")
You know, it’s kind of like rich Catholics going out on Fridays during Lent and having a big fancy lobster and shrimp dinner. You’re paying a fortune, and eating all this fancy food, but hey, you’re not eating meat! Wouldn’t it be better to stay home and eat leftover meatloaf? (I hate meatloaf) Fish fries are one thing – a lot of them are run by the churches, so they make money for the parishes. And the fish is really good, but it’s not like, gourmet restaurant good. It’s not fancy food, just good old-fashioned church lady type stuff. But going out for these big shindigs – that’s one of those WWJD moments. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramadan-big-hypocrisy-muslims-please-chime-in/549917/63 "2014-07-23T23:05:25Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > You left out the key detail where the citation was contained within a post about how Protestants interpret the will of God. I thought about pointing out that, too, but I was afraid it would just come across as mean. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramadan-big-hypocrisy-muslims-please-chime-in/549917/64 "2014-07-23T23:47:34Z")
Am I missing something here? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2014, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramadan-big-hypocrisy-muslims-please-chime-in/549917/65 "2014-07-24T00:01:23Z")
I’m saying that the “key detail” you said I left out is demonstrating exactly the same error as the part I quoted. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2014, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramadan-big-hypocrisy-muslims-please-chime-in/549917/66 "2014-07-24T00:06:11Z")
The “error” being what? Going mildly off-topic? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2014, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramadan-big-hypocrisy-muslims-please-chime-in/549917/67 "2014-07-24T01:31:38Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > You know, it’s kind of like rich Catholics going out on Fridays during Lent and having a big fancy lobster and shrimp dinner. Yeah, and they get all lazy and slack off… Loaf and the fishes, right? I don’t know Christian stuff… ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2014, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramadan-big-hypocrisy-muslims-please-chime-in/549917/68 "2014-07-24T14:36:05Z")
The “fish on Friday” thing isn’t related to the stories “Feeding of the 5000” or the “Feeding of the 4000”, both of which involved loaves and fish. It’s just a somewhat arbitrary fasting thing that evolved from Jewish tradition. Friday was chosen because that’s the day Jesus was supposed to have been crucified, I believe. ETA: As far as I know, Lent is a separate issue and is to do with a story of Jesus going into the desert and fasting for 40 days. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2014, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramadan-big-hypocrisy-muslims-please-chime-in/549917/69 "2014-07-24T14:37:50Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I know many Muslims who feel the same way the OP does about people not really embracing the spirit of Ramadan. It’s kind of like Christians who feel too many people don’t embrace the true spirit of Christmas. As has been pointed out, not all Muslims behave the way you describe. This is one of the best analogies I’ve seen. Whenever you have a religious practice, you are going to have some people who really get into the spirit of it and truly want to follow the principles and meanings of it. Some people don’t really care for it and make the minimum amount of sacrifice necessary to not face social or familial censure. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramadan-big-hypocrisy-muslims-please-chime-in/549917/70 "2014-07-24T14:39:38Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > …I always thought that how a Muslim ,or anyone for that matter who has certain rules to follow , interprets the spirit of Ramadan , Lent, Shabbat etc . It’s between them and their God. This. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramadan-big-hypocrisy-muslims-please-chime-in/549917.md?page=3)