Moroccans Most Generous in Ramadan

By Amin Al-Andalusi, IOL Correspondent

RABAT, October 15, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Moroccans’ appetite for charity is whetted by the holy fasting month of Ramadan being most generous with the poor and needy, but the generosity stands at a low ebb yearlong.

In Rabat’s old market place, well-off Moroccans distribute food packages, including dates, milk, traditional soup and desert, among the destitute in a show of solidarity and benevolence.

Other philanthropists prefer to give cash to the needy who gather everyday before sunset in a moving scene to get their charity share.

A man stops a van full of food and drinks at noon everyday and have his driver unload it for the poor families.

"I inherited this from my father and I enjoy doing it myself," he told IslamOnline.net.

The holy month is also something special for NGOs, during which they tend to intensify their charity.

At the state level, King Mohammad VI’s charity shift the attention during Ramadan to the poor families to bring a smile to their faces.

Queues

The sight of underprivileged people queuing outside houses in Rabat’s posh areas is a Ramadan characteristic.

Well-to-do Moroccans welcome the needy themselves on their doorstep, giving them hot Iftar (fast breaking) meals, fresh drinks and deserts.

"I can knock at any door during Ramadan and ask for food. This is the month of generosity," a poor Moroccan, who refused to give his name, told IOL.

"I never sleep with an empty stomach in Ramadan," said the man, one of some 15 people standing outside a fancy Rabat villa for a hot iftar meal.

During Ramadan, many Moroccans set aside part of their monthly budget for the poor.

Short-lived

But many regret that such benevolence is short-lived and becomes something of a rarity all yearlong save Ramadan.

On Thursday, October 13, Al-Sahra Al-Maghribia newspaper ran a caricature showing a rich man giving mouthwatering food to a poor family with a piece of paper reading: "Only in Ramadan."

Rashid Bouzaid, a civil servant, sees the compassion fatigue "natural".

"Muslims are used to doing a lot of charity and praying during Ramadan, and it makes every sense that their benevolence takes a downward trajectory afterwards," he said.

But Khadiga Al-Moussi, a housewife, decried the practice as some sort of religious and social "hypocrisy".

"Those who are only willing to give charity during Ramadan are similar to those who pray only during the holy month."