Is RAMADAN increasing or decreasing crime rates?

BEGINNING OF RAMADAN.

It all starts with the astronomical new moon. Since the new moon is seen in the beginning of the new month in Muslim calendar, Muslims can usually estimate the beginning of the new month. This day is known as Hilal (the crescent). From then onwards, RAMADAN begins.

Night of Power

The Arabic Laylat al-Qadr, translated to English is "the night of power" or "the night of decree", is considered the holiest night of the year.  This is the night in which Muslims believe the first revelation of the Quran was sent down to Muhammad stating that this night was "better than one thousand months [of proper worship]", as stated in Chapter 97:3 of the Quran.

Also, generally, Laylat al-Qadr is believed to have occurred on an odd-numbered night during the last ten days of Ramadan, i.e., the night of the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th.  

Eid

This day is declared after another crescent new moon on the completion of 30 days of fasting. The new month that starts with the end of Ramadan is shawaal. This month may also be an invitation towards the festive nature of ending the fasting season and coming back to more natural disposition (fitra) of being able to eat, drink and resume intimacy with spouses during the day.

Religious practices

The common practice during Ramadan is fasting from dawn to sunset. The pre-dawn meal before the fast is called the suhur, while the meal at sunset that breaks the fast is the iftar. Muslims are engaged in prayers and charity during Ramadan. They try to practice increased self-discipline. Famous hadith mentioned that, "when Ramadan arrives, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of hell are locked up and devils are put in chains".

Ramadan is a time of spiritual reflection, improvement and increased devotion and worship. In this whole journey, Muslims restraint themselves from sexual relations, and avoids sinful speech and behavior. Ramadan also teaches Muslims how to better practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate; thus encouraging actions of generosity and compulsory charity (zakat). The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the soul by freeing it from harmful impurities. It becomes compulsory for muslims to start fasting as long as they reach puberty. Many children endeavor to complete as many fasts as possible as practice for later life.

Exemptions to fasting are travel, menstruation, severe illness, pregnancy, and breastfeeding. However, many Muslims with medical conditions insist on fasting to satisfy their spiritual needs, although it is not recommended by the hadith. In the Quran it says that, "if somebody has difficulty participation in fasting then they do not have to".

SUHROOR

Each day, before dawn, Muslims observe a pre-fast meal called the suhoor. After stopping a short time before dawn, Muslims begin the first prayer of the day, Fajr. All the prayers are equally important for muslims, but the evening prayer is given more weightage.

IFTAR

At sunset, families sit together for the fast-breaking meal known as iftar.  The first food that goes in the mouth are usually Dates. Prophet prophet muhammad pbuh) broke his first fasting with three dates, in those times.  Following that, Muslims generally sit for the Maghrib prayer, the fourth of the five daily prayers, after which the main meal is served and the first day of the Ramadan ends with peace, harmony and discipline.

In the Middle East, the iftar meal consists of water, juices, dates, salads and appetizers, one or more main dishes, and various kinds of desserts. Typical main dishes are lamb stewed with wheat berries, lamb kebabs with grilled vegetables, or roast chicken served with chickpea-studded rice pilaf. Over time, iftar has grown into banquet festivals. This is a time of fellowship with families, friends and surrounding communities, but may also occupy larger spaces at masjid or banquet halls for 100 or more diners.

CHARITY

Charity is very important in Islam, and even more so during Ramadan. Zakāt, often translated as "the poor-rate", is obligatory as one of the pillars of Islam; a fixed percentage of the person's savings is required to be given to the poor. Sadaqah is voluntary charity in giving above and beyond what is required from the obligation of zakāt. In Islam, all good deeds are more handsomely rewarded during Ramadan than in any other month of the year. Consequently, many will choose this time to give a larger portion, if not all, of the zakāt that they are obligated to give. In addition, many will also use this time to give a larger portion of sadaqah in order to maximize the reward that will await them at the Last Judgment.

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LAWS DURING RAMADAN.

In some Muslim countries, failing to fast during Ramadan is considered a crime and is prosecuted as such. For instance, in Algeria, in October 2008 the court of Biskra condemned six people to four years in prison and heavy fines.

In Kuwait, according to law number 44 of 1968, the penalty is a fine of no more than 100 Kuwaiti dinars, (about US$330, GB£260 in May 2017) or jail for no more than one month, or both penalties, for those seen eating, drinking or smoking during Ramadan daytime. In some places in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), eating or drinking in public during the daytime of Ramadan is considered a minor offence and would be punished by up to 150 hours of community service. In neighboring Saudi Arabia, described by The Economistas taking Ramadan "more seriously than anywhere else",  there are harsher punishments, including flogging, imprisonment and, for foreigners, deportation.

In Malaysia, Muslims who break the fast during daytime are simply arrested by the religious police. People who sell food, drinks, or tobacco to Muslims for immediate consumption can be fined for up to RM1,000 and imprisoned for up to six months, and repeated offenders will have their penalty doubled.

Some countries have laws that amend work schedules during Ramadan. Under UAE labor law, the maximum working hours are to be six hours per day and 36 hours per week. Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait have similar laws.

In Egypt, alcohol sales are banned during Ramadan.

HEALTH

Ramadan fasting is safe for healthy people, but those with medical conditions should seek medical advice if they were to encounter health problems before or during fasting. The fasting period is usually associated with modest weight loss, but weight can return afterwards.

The education departments of Berlin and the United Kingdom have tried to discourage students from fasting during Ramadan, as they claim that not eating or drinking can lead to concentration problems and bad grades, according to their own research.

A review of the literature by an Iranian group suggested fasting during Ramadan might produce renal injury in patients with moderate (GFR <60 ml/min) or worse kidney disease, but was not injurious to renal transplant patients with good function or most forming patients.

CRIME RATES DURING RAMADAN.

The correlation of Ramadan with crime rates is mixed: some statistics show that crime rates drop during Ramadan, while others show that it rises. Decreases in crime rates have been reported by the police in some cities in Turkey (Istanbul  and Kenya) and the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. A 2005 study found that there was a decrease in assault, robbery and alcohol-related crimes during Ramadan in Saudi Arabia, but only the decrease in alcohol-related crimes was statistically significant. Increases in crime rates during Ramadan have been reported in Turkey,^[  Jakarta,  parts of Algeria, Yemen  and Egypt.

Various mechanisms have been proposed for the effect of Ramadan on crime:

·        Fasting during Ramadan makes people less likely to commit crimes due to spiritual reasons. Muslims who commit crimes while fasting during Ramadan as "fake and superficial".

·        Police in Saudi Arabia attributed a drop in crime rates to the "spiritual mood prevalent in the country".

·        In Jakarta, Indonesia, police say that the traffic due to 7 million people leaving the city to celebrate Eid al-Fitr results in an increase in street crime. As a result, police deploy an additional 7,500 personnel.

·        During Ramadan, millions of pilgrims enter Saudi Arabia to visit Mecca. According to the Yemen Times, such pilgrims are usually charitable, and consequently smugglers traffic children in from Yemen to beg on the streets of Saudi Arabia.

Everything has pros and cons. It depends on us, how we take it. Ramadan is a festival of peace and harmony. This festival also helps a lot of species to continue the food chain cycle meanwhile for a month. Crime rates are decreased, poverty is minimized as most of the rich Muslims goes for charity and donations every day. Most importantly, hundreds of Muslims sit together and break their fasting and talk about harmony, sharing joy and sorrow with each other.

 Ref:

1.    Muslim-Ibn-Habaj, Abul-Hussain. "Sahih Muslim – Book 006 (The Book of Fasting), Hadith 2378". hadithcollection.com. Retrieved 25 July 2012.

2.    ^ Muslim-Ibn-Habaj, Abul-Hussain. "Sahih Muslim – Book 006 (The Book of Fasting), Hadith 2391". hadithcollection.com. Retrieved 25 July 2012.

3.    ^ Fasting (Al Siyam) – الصيام – p. 18, el Bahay el Kholi, 1998

4.    ^ "Ramadan in the Farthest North". Saudi Aramco World. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 16 June2015.

5.  Abu Dawud-Ibn-Ash'ath-AsSijisstani, Sulayman. "Sunan Abu-Dawud – (The Book of Prayer) – Detailed Injunctions about Ramadan, Hadith 1370". Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement of The University of Southern California. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
6. ^ Bukhari-Ibn-Ismail, AbdAllah-Muhammad. "Sahih Bukhari – Book 031 (The Book of Fasting), Hadith 199". hadithcollection.com. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
7. ^ Ad-Dausaree, Mahmood Bin Ahmad Bin Saaleh (2006). The Magnificence of Quran. Darussalam Publishers.
8. ^ Jump up to:^a b Aliyev, Rafig Y. (2013). Loud Thoughts on Religion: A Version of the System Study of Religion. Useful Lessons for Everybody. Trafford Publishing. p. 129. ISBN 978-1490705217.^{[self-published source]}
9. ^ al-Uthaymeen, Shaikh Saalih. Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles of Islam (Salafi): Sharh Usool ath-Thalatha of Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahaab. Salafi Books.
10. ^ Quran Chapter 2, Revelation 183.