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Hari Raya is just around the corner. Prior to that, Muslims fast (puasa) for a month to cleanse their body, renew their minds, and strengthen their faith. It is a compulsory practice for all followers of the Islamic faith. Quite frankly it is a practice that should be respected by all, regardless of faith, culture, age, gender, or race.

This year, the month of Ramadhan runs from 24th September 2006 through to 23rd October 2006. Followers of the faith abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk. During this time, the temptation to break fast is very real. It is really a test of mind over matter and self control. Just try it yourself for a day or two and you begin to understand the adjustments that our bodies have to make to accomodate the change in diet and nourishment. Try doing it for a month on an annual basis and you’ll soon realise that it’s not as easy as it seems.

There has been alot of religious unrest over recent months, both local and international. Tempers have been high on many fronts. At some point, the situation degenerated to something akin to ground stomping, chest thumping and name calling. While doctrines may differ from one religion to the next, tollerance and harmony is often at the base.

Missionary religions such as Islam and Christianity have a standing order to expand the faith. Religious expansion can only happen through conversion. Like the scientific conversion of fuel to energy, conversion of faith means that one side will lose something to another. As the population is a limited resource, contention will happen. If a person truly cares for another person, it is difficult and painful to see them have a change in heart. Especially more so if it involves religion and the love for a God that you yourself truly believe in. It is only natural for people to become possessive and try to disuade a person from turning their back on their religion.

It is only natural for people to be territorial when it comes to principles and beliefs. However, it is dangerous when these beliefs are taken to an extreme. Religious zeal is a weapon that is often manipulated and wielded by less than ideal figureheads to cause catastrophical damage, all in the name of furthering their own cause. It is always important to guard ourselves against such unscrupulous conduct.

When my mind is free to wander, they have on odd occasions turned to the issue of world population. The world population is said to grow exponentially and doubles itself every 25 years or so. Given this, the present world population of 6 billion would double to 12 billion by the year 2031. That is a little too crowded for my taste. Death rates are down, birth rates are up, medical science is greatly advanced, and average lifespans are longer. This only accelerates population growth. However, upon pondering the matter further, I come to realise that when all else fails, we can always rely on natural disasters and epidemic outbreaks for population control. If that fails, we still have a reserve in genocide. And if that breaks, we can always, ALWAYS fall back on religious wars.

As much as I dislike the thought of living on an overcrowded planet, it still beats fearing the outbreak of war or religious cleansing at the drop of a hat. There can never be peace between religion. That much is a given fact. There is no such thing as a one size fits all religion. As long as this holds true, there will always be conflict. However, that does not mean that there cannot exist a tollerance and mutual respect between people of differing faiths.

It is strange how people can often be friendly to one another but the moment the religion card is drawn, everything falls apart. The facade of understanding is dropped and hands are going for throats and jugulars.

Anyway, the topic is getting a little heavy for my puny brain. I’ll just let it hang here and leave it up to you to decide what’s best and what’s not. Think about it a little but not too much. In the meantime, excercise a little faith and understanding. Try to walk a mile in your peer’s shoes before jumping to conclussions and condemning something that you do not understand. To all my muslim friends, have a good Ramadhan month ahead.