Grocery prices at the food markets in Russia's Muslim republics doubled during the first week of December. Women doing their shopping desperately and loudly scolded and cast spells on the traders at the market – as they do every year – but nonetheless continued purchasing copious amounts of eggs, flour and butter at punitive prices. Uraza-Bairam, the last day of the holy month of Ramadan, came on Dec. 5, putting an end to the monthlong period of fasting obligatory for all devout Muslims.
It was an easy Ramadan this year, as the fasting period occurred in November. This made abstention from food and drink during daylight hours, which is required of members of the Islamic Umma – as Russia's Muslims call their community of 20 million – less painful than it would be in June, for example. The Islamic calendar differs slightly from the Gregorian one, and each Ramadan starts 10 days earlier than the previous year. In November the days are short, and those abstaining do not have to wake up too early in order to have their meal before sunrise.
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Dagestan, a tiny republic in North Caucasus, may be considered the flagship of the Muslim renaissance in Russia. The largest mosque in the country, a replica of the mosque of Suleiman in Istanbul, was built there at the beginning of the 1990s.
Dagestanis comprise two-thirds of Russia's quota for pilgrims to Mecca imposed by Saudi Arabia.
The number of believers is growing steadily in Russia's Muslim republics, especially among young people. Given the opportunity to choose, young people are opting in favor of religion, deliberately and independently imposing rather strict regulation over their own behavior and way of life. Uraza – the traditional Ramadan fasting – is one of the severest ordeals. Only small children, old people and those who cannot fast because of health problems can be excused for violating the fasting. But even they try to observe Uraza for at least one day of Ramadan, and it is widely believed that somewhere in the heavenly accounting department they will get additional points for this.
The Moscow Times December 11, 2002 [вся статья]
