Ramadan primer: new schedules, services and modified routines

  

The Islamic Ministry declared Saturday, March 1 to be the first day of Ramadan, based on the sighting of the crescent moon. 

The new moon marks the beginning of the Islamic lunar month. If the moon is not visible on the night of the 29th day, the month lasts 30 days. 

For Muslims, Ramadan is the holy month when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to Prophet Mohamed. All able-bodied adults must fast from just before the dawn prayer to the sunset prayer, refraining from eating or drinking, abstaining from bodily pleasures, and focusing on self-reflection, prayer and charity.

In the Maldives, friends and family gather for the iftar feast to break the fast (roadha veellun in Dhivehi) and load up on carbs at a pre-dawn meal (formerly haaru keun, now suhoor) in preparation for the daytime fast.

Civil service and government working hours are from 9am to 1pm. Most private businesses work reduce hours as well and services are offered for shorter periods during the day.

As a campaign pledge, the current administration decided to close government offices for the last 10 days of Ramadan, which is considered the holiest period of the month. Public reaction to the new practice has been mixed. Last month, a ruling party lawmaker proposed breaking for recess during Ramdan, but parliament reconsidered the move following public outrage. 

In the Greater Malé islands, garbage collection starts later at 8:30pm. The bus service between Malé and Hulhumalé operates from 7:00am to midnight with an iftar break and resumption at 7:20pm. Within Malé, the bus service starts at the same time but resumes at 9pm after the sunset break. Most ferry services conclude before sunset.

The transport and unloading of goods in Malé are restricted (from 9:30am to 4:30pm and from 8pm to 6am). In anticipation of traffic congestion in Malé, police have stepped up patrols at the local market, 22 mosques, busy roads, Sinamalé bridge and Hulhumalé highway.  

Restaurants are closed during the day but a few are authorised to discreetly serve tourists and expatriates. After 6pm, cafés and restaurants can stay open until 3am but shops must close at 1am, until the end of the Eid al-Fitr holidays, a week after the end of Ramadan. 

Food prices historically soar during Ramadan as suppliers struggle to meet the higher demand for pantry essentials, cooking ingredients and fresh produce. 

On Friday night, the economic development ministry launched a portal to provide “up-to-date” prices at shops in Malé and Hulhumalé. Last month, the government announced a price stabilisation plan and promised to intervene to alleviate food shortages and to respond to “unreasonable price hikes."

The prices of 141 essential items will be monitored and the State Trading Organisation stands ready to rapidly import additional supplies, the government assured. 

STO’s new stocks of fresh produce and food items include cooking oil, rice, onion, eggs, coconut, dates, some vegetables and fresh fruits as well as a few processed food items like condensed milk.

But prices were up on the first day of Ramadan compared to the past week, according to media reports, which highlighted lettuce (up from MVR 85 to MVR 120 per kg), dates (up from MVR 250 to MVR 300 per kg), and passion fruit (up from MVR 100 to MVR 120 per kg). The price of the popular chili from Kandoodhoo island was up from about MVR 15 per gram to as much as MVR 25 per gram.  

But the price of watermelon remained stable. Watermelon juice is synonymous with Ramadan for Maldivians as the ubiquitous iftar drink.

Ramadan “gifts” from the government have become common in recent years. The current administration introduced nationwide discounts on electricity and water bills last year.

On Friday, the Malé Water and Sewerage Company promised discounts of 10 percent. In addition to the utility discounts, the government has been handing out a case of canned tuna to each household.  

Some island councils also distribute gifts for Ramadan. The Dhagethi council waived waste collection fees. Last week, a private agricultural island donated 906 lime trees to households in Naifaru.

Muslim workers in the Maldives are entitled to MVR 3,000 (US$195) as a mandatory Ramadan bonus.

The collection of fitr zakat – obligatory alms for the poor offered before Eid prayers – began on Saturday. According to the Zakat House, the charity contributions can be made online via six digital platforms, including the mobile apps of local telcos and banks as well as the finance ministry’s payment gateways. Collection counters will also be set up at the Islamic centre in Malé. On other islands, councils will accept the donations. 

The zakat payment ranges from US$ 0.78 for normal rice to US$ 8.6 for the highest-grade basmati rice. The nisab threshold or minimum amount of wealth for eligibility to pay zakat was set at US$ 571. 

At a press briefing on Friday, the police advised the public to be wary of theft. An increase in robbery incidents has been noted between the sunset prayers and end of tharaweeh prayers around 9:15pm, police said. 

Common crimes include motorcycle theft, theft from storage areas, stealing merchandise displayed outside shops, and burglaries targeting electronic items when people are attending night or dawn prayers.

The police identified a few high-risk areas in Hulhumalé, including the timbre and yellowfin tuna jetties, the swimming track and the area between flats one and five.  

A special team has also been assigned to monitor drug and alcohol-related offences in Hulhumalé based on a spike in previous years. The police promised an increased presence with monitoring teams patrolling throughout the artificial island.