2012 Ramadan Fun Facts & Trivia [Updated Aug 18 COMPLETE!]

In addition to the diaries I have been keeping throughout my Ramadan fasting experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I have also decided to publish a set of trivia questions.

~~~ RAMADAN FUN FACTS & TRIVIA ~~~

Every evening, after Maghrib, I have been sending out a “Ramadan Fun Fact” or “Ramadan Trivia Question” to the Peace Corps Volunteers. These fun facts are compiled from a variety of sources. Answers are provided in the respective footnote. The answer is written in a font color that matches the background of this page, so you wont accidentally see the answer to a RTQ you haven’t attempted yet. To read the answer, select the are between ‘Answer’ and ‘End.’ You can practice here:

Answer: Bagus!!!! Selamat ber-Trivia! End.

~~~THE DIARIES~~~

Th JULY 19 (Ramadan scheduled to start in evening)

Fr JULY 20 (Ramadan starts in the evening; fasting begins tomorrow)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: The method of calculating the start of Ramadan scientifically is called ‘Hisab.’ The process that relies on visual observation is called ‘Rukyah.’ⁱ

Sa JULY 21 (Day 1)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: The Islamic Society of North America started using Hisab, the scientific method of calculating the start and end of Ramadan just three years ago.ⁱⁱ

Su JULY 22 (Day 2)

RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION: Indonesia is the largest country by Muslim population with 204.9 million followers. Can you name the next four largest countries by Muslim population?ⁱⁱⁱ

M JULY 23 (Day 3)

RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION: There are currently 2.75 million Muslims living in the USA. About 2.1 million of those are immigrants making the USA the 7^th largest destination for Muslim immigrants. Can you name the 6 top destinations? (Hint: This includes both Muslim majority and non-majority countries).^iv

Tu JULY 24 (Day 4)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: In 2006, A Sjarief Mustafa, a Jakarta City Official, stated that the city apprehended 264 prostitutes during Ramadan while only 94 had been caught in the previous ~9 months. He claims that prostitution and street begging increase during Ramadan as people flock to the city to take advantage of the “momentum” of Ramadan. It’s your job to determine what that actually means.^v

W JULY 25 (Day 5)

Th JULY 26 (Day 6)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: “83% of Egyptian families alter their food consumption habits during Ramadan in a way that augments their food bill for this month by 50 to 100 percent.^vi

Fr JULY 27 (Day 7)

Sa JULY 28 (Day 8)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: “During Ramadan, the productivity of Arab businesses drops by 78%”^vii

Su JULY 29 (Day 9)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: 76% of Muslim working professionals in Muslim-majority countries said that their employers set special Ramadan work hours. Only 25% of employers in non-Muslim majority countries are reported to have done the same.^viii

M JULY 30 (Day 10)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: Yesterday, 62 people were arrested in Jakarta for attacking a bar that served alcohol during Ramadan. The attackers used swords and golf-clubs.^ix

Tu JULY 31 (Day 11)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: A 2011survey in France reported that 71% of French Muslims refrained from food for the entire day during Ramadan. This figure is 10 points higher than when the survey was first administered in 1989.^x

W AUGUST 1 (Day 12)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: “In the first week of Ramadan Egyptians consume 2.3 billion loaves of bread.”^xi

Th AUGUST 2 (Day 13)

Fr AUGUST 3 (Day 14)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: Arabic text is written right-to-left, opposite most other scripts. The Arabic numerical system, however, left-to-right. Thus the page numbers and the text of the Al-Qur’an read in different directions. What’s the deal with that?!^xii

Sa AUGUST 4 (Day 15)

Su AUGUST 5 (Day 16)

M AUGUST 6 (Day 17)

RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION: English and Arabic are 2 of 6 international languages at the United Nations. Can you name the other 4?^xiii

Tu AUGUST 7 (Day 18)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: The Indonesian government has prepared Rp 135 billion (~$139 million US) in subsidies to help poor families offset increased food prices during Ramadan.^xiv

W AUGUST 8 (Day 19)

RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION: Tonight we indirectly test your knowledge of Dutch colonial history. Which South American Country has the largest Muslim population BY PERCENTAGE OF NATIONAL POPULATION? (i.e., the country with the largest percentage, not the largest sum).^xv

Th AUGUST 9 (Day 20)

RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION: Given that Indonesia is the largest country by Muslim population (205 million), it stands to reason that it sends more Hajjis per year than any other country. Indonesia’s waiting list for the pilgrimage to Mecca is currently 6x Indonesia’s annual quota. Care to guess how many people are on that list?^xvi

F AUGUST 10 (Day 21)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: The largest concentration of Arabic people outside of the Arabian Peninsula is in the United States. Can you guess the state? There is a bonus prize for anyone who can name the city.^xvii

Sa AUGUST 11 (Day 22)

In this era, the Qiblah – the direction Muslims face for prayer – is oriented towards Al-Masjid Al-Haram in Mecca, but this was not always the case. Until the year 2H, Muhammad and his followers originally faced Bait-al-Maqdis. Care to guess the city in which this mosque is located? (Hint: The answer is neither Mecca nor Medina).^xviii

Su AUGUST 12 (Day 23)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: During the Hajj, pilgrims walk around the Ka’aba at Mecca. This tradition is called Tawaf. How many revolutions are the pilgrims required to make?^xix

M AUGUST 13 (Day 24)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: Earlier we noted that Indonesia sends a quota of 200,000 people per year on the Hajj. How many total people make the pilgrimage each year?^xx

Tu AUGUST 14 (Day 25)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: Breaking fast occurs at ‘maghrib,’ which is also the time for one of five mandatory daily prayers in Islam. Today’s trivia question is: What is the English translation of maghrib? If you know something about the timing of maghrib and that phenomenon, you should be able to make a reasonable guess.^xxi

W AUGUST 15 (Day 26)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: Different parts of Islamic iconography, symbolism, and clothing have been controversial in several European countries, but my research reveals that three countries, in particular, have specific clothing bans that seem directly aimed at outlawing the burqa and hijab. Care to guess which three European governments have these laws?^xxii

Th AUGUST 16 (Day 27)

This was a fun one for the PCVs in Indonesia…

RAMADAN FUN FACT: Don’t you miss lunch? When will Ramadan end!? No seriously, when will Ramadan end? The last scheduled day of fasting in 2012 is Aug 18, but visual observations of the moon on that evening could add 1 more day of fasting for NU adherents. Do you think the last day of fasting for NU will be AUG 18 or AUG 19? Do you remember the name of the scientific method and the name of the observational method for determining the open and close of Ramadan?^xxiii

F AUGUST 17 (Day 28)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: Bali and North Sulawesi (each individual provinces) are relatively small pockets of non-Muslim majority populations in Indonesia. Can you name three other larger regions in Indonesia that are also non-Muslim majority? (Hint: These are big regions, so pockets of Dyak Chrisitians in Kalimantan and pockets of Christians at Toba in Sumatra are both incorrect. Two of these regions are also separate provinces; the third region is split into two province).^xxiv

 

Sa AUGUST 18 (Day 29)

RAMADAN FUN FACT: The close of Ramadan is celebrated with two holidays: Eid al Fitri and Eid al Adha. What story – told in the Torah, Bible, and al-Qur’an – does Eid Al Adha commemorate? (Hint: Eid al Adha is celebrated by sacrificing goats and cows).^xxv

############# FOOTNOTES #############

############# FOOTNOTES #############

i### RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION ### Hisab and Rukyah ### JULY 20 (Day 0) ### Source: VOA: US Muslims begin Ramadan (2012 July 19).

ii### RAMADAN FUN FACT ### Islamic Society of North America ### JULY 21 (Day 1) ### Source: VOA: US Muslims begin Ramadan (2012 July 19).

iii### RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION ### Largest countries by Muslim pop. ### JULY 22 (Day 2) ### Answer: 1. Indonesia (205million); 2. Pakistan (178m); 3. India (177m); 4. Bangladesh (149m); 5. Egypt (80m). *A common guess is Turkey. According to my 2010 source, Turkey ranked #8 (75m), but it ranked #5 (76m) in a 2009 study. End. Source: PEW Research Center: 2010 estimate. 2009 estimate published by National Geographic (original sources in link).

iv### RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION ### Muslim immigration ### JULY 23 (Day 3) ### Answer: Saudi Arabia, Russia, Germany, France, Jordan, and Pakistan. *Common incorrect guesses are the U.K., Canada, and Malaysia. End. Source: PEW Research Center: Faith on the Move: The Religious Affiliation of International Migrants (2012 March 8).

v### RAMADAN FUN FACT ### Prostitutes in Jakarta ### JULY 24 (Day 4) ### Source: Wiki-Islam: Ramadan and Eid.

vi### RAMADAN FUN FACT ### Altering food consumption in Egypt ### JULY 26 (Day 6) ### Source: Wiki-Islam: Ramadan and Eid.

vii### RAMADAN FUN FACT ### Arab business productivity ### JULY 28 (Day 8) ### Source: Wiki-Islam: Ramadan and Eid.

viii### RAMADAN FUN FACT ### JULY 29 (Day 9) ### Source: Dinar Standard: 2011 Survey of Productivity During Ramadan.

ix### RAMADAN FUN FACT ### Jakarta bar attacks ### JULY 30 (Day 10) ### Source: Bangkok Post report (2012 July 30). Jakarta Post editorial (2012 July 31).

x### RAMADAN FUN FACT ### Fasting in France ### JULY 31 (Day 11) ### Source: Wiki-Islam: Ramadan and Eid.

xi### RAMADAN FUN FACT ### Bread consumption in Egypt ### AUG 1 (Day 12) ### Source: Wiki-Islam: Ramadan and Eid.

xii### RAMADAN FUN FACT ### Arabic script and numerals ### AUG 3 (Day 14) ### Source: Personal observation.

xiii### RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION ### UN languages ### AUG 6 (Day 17) ### Answer: In no particular order: (1) Arabic, (2) English, (3) [Mandarin] Chinese, (4) French, (5) Russian, and (6) Spanish. End. Source: United Nations: Offical Languages.

xiv### RAMADAN FUN FACT ### Food subsidies in Indonesia ### AUG 7 (Day 18) ### Source: Xinhua News: Indonesia faces soaring food prices during Ramadan (2012 July 23).

xv### RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION ### Muslims in South America ### AUG 8 (Day 19) ### Answer: The correct answer is Suriname with 16% of the 84.000 people following Islam. Argentina has the largest sum with ~1.000.000 followers, but this only makes up 2.5% of Argentina’s population. End. Source: PEW Research Center: 2010 estimate.

xvi### RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION ### Indonesia’s Hajj waiting list ### AUG 9 (Day 20) ### Answer: There are currently 1.2 million people on Indonesia’s waiting list for the Hajj. Indonesia’s annual quota is 200.000 meaning the list is just about exactly 6 years long. End. Source: Political Economy of the Hajj in Indonesia (2010 Aug 22).

xvii### RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION ### Arabians in the U.S. ### AUG 10 (Day 21) ### Answer: Dearborn, MI (outside of Detroit). This city’s population is only ~100.000, but 40.000 of them are of Arabic ethnicity. End. Source: On Point with Tom Ashbrook: All American Muslims Under Fire (2011 Dec 14).

xviii### RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION ### Location of first Qiblah, Masjid Bait-al-Maqdis ### AUG 11 (Day 22) ### Answer: Bait-al-Maqdis is located in Jerusalem. Tradition says Allah told Muhammad to begin facing Mecca during a communal Dhuhr prayer and that the entire group reoriented itself in the middle of the prayer. End. Source: http://www.islamiclandmarks.com/saudi/madinah/other/masjid_qiblatain.html (web pub. Date unknown). Additional Note: Qiblah is also spelled Qibla and in Bahasa Indonesia, ‘Kiblat.’ Another Fun Fact for those who don’t live in Indonesia or Muslim countries: Most Javanese hotels have an arrow pasted to the ceiling of each room that says ‘Kiblat’ and points to the Ka’aba.

xix### RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION ### Tawaf ritual ### AUG 12 (Day 23) ### Answer: There’s nothing complicated about today’s trivia. The answer is 7. Here’s a vocab word you can add though: ‘circumambulate’ is a verb that means to walk around something, usually in ritual. End. Source: The Foundations of Islam Personal knowledge.

xx### RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION ### Total Hajjis per year ### AUG 13 (Day 24) ### Answer: Approximately 2.9 million total people made the Hajj in 2011. End. Source: 2011 Saudi statistics (2011 Nov 06).

xxi### RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION ### Translation of maghrib ### AUG 14 (Day 25) ### Answer: ‘Maghrib’ means ‘west.’ Maghrib occurs at sundown, and the sun always sets in the west. End. Source: Personal knowledge.

xxii### RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION ### Islamic clothing bans in Europe ### AUG 15 (Day 26) ### Answer:

• This is not cut-and-dry.  You can safely say that France, Belgium, and Turkey have some sort of ban at the national level but context and extent have to be considered. There is a good synopsis from the BBC from 2011 Sep. I have updated this document and expanded on resources in this pdf document.

• Other jumping points: Wikipedia: Islamic dress in Europe & Wikipedia: Hijab by country.

xxiii### RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION ### When will Ramadan end? ### AUG 16 (Day 27) ### Answer: Answer. End. See the RFF for July 20 (Day 0) for information on the scientific and observational methods to determine the open and close of Ramadan.

xxiv### RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION ### non-Muslim majority areas of Indonesia ### AUG 17 (Day 28) ### Answer: 1. Nusa Tenggara Timur (the Lesser Eastern Islands), namely comprising Flores and Timor, is predominately Catholic with only 9% of the population following Islam. 2. Papua (West Papua and Papua province) is predominately Protestant with only 24% of the population following Islam. 3. The province of Maluku (separated from the province ‘North Maluku’) is majority Protesttant, but 46% of the population is Islamic. End. Source: National Geographic map of Indonesia and article about religious tolerance in Indonesia. (2009 October).

xxv### RAMADAN TRIVIA QUESTION ### Eid Al Adha ### AUG 18 (Day 29) ### Answer: Eid Al Adha honors the story of when God/Allah tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice his son. Before the act was committed, God/Allah provided a goat, and the son was saved. In the Judeo-Christian account, God/Allah asks Abraham to sacrifie Isaac, the son of Sara. In the Islamic tale, God/Allah asks Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael, the son of Hagar. Muslims celebrate this story by sacrificing goats and cows with the holiday Eid Al Adha. . End. Source: Personal Knowledge. More information on Eid Al Ahda here: Wikipedia: Eid Al Adha.

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