Fasting

The teachers are fasting today, in fact most Muslims are fasting and have been for the last three days. They are celebrating/ recognising the time that Profit Moses, lead the Israelites away from Pharaoh in Egypt to the Red Sea. Allah parted the sea, letting the Iraelities through to the promised land and then closed the sea drowning the Egyptian army. It is now 10 days since the Islamic New Year started on Dec 18. From the conversations I have had they fast for 3 days up to the 10th day of the New Year. This fast is not as strict as Ramadan, in that as a non Muslim I am allowed to eat and drink, and can do so within their sight. (I was busy drinking the Arabic coffee my teachers gave me, as they told me about the fast.) There seem a few contradictions in that Egyptians are Muslim too, and it was their army that was drowned. Profit Mosoes is a very popular guy, although very few students are called Moses. For me it is nice they take the time to tell me the stories and the reasons why, at the same time quietly going about their fasting with out a great deal of fuss. I'd be starving!