On 12 August 2010 22:00, Moushira Elamrawy moushirah@gmail.com wrote:
As for Wikimania and Ramadan (thanks to Phoebe for bringing this up) actually, the presence of the mosque is not as troublesome as the fact of having to fast (no eating or driniking) from sun rise to sunset, and do additional spiritual rituals, while you need to attend sessions, analyze and concentrat for a whole day. For those who realize fasting as myself, the decision to travel to attend a conference in Ramadan will be difficult, but will it be reason enough to consider shifting the conference date?
I studied Islam in some detail at GCSE (British exams taken aged 16, which was 7 years ago for me, so I can't remember all of it) and I seem to remember something about an exception to the fasting for people travelling (with the missed days taken later). I'm not sure whether "travelling" only includes days actually spent travelling from one place to another or if it includes any days spent away from home, but could that exception make life a little easier for Muslims wanting to come to Wikimania?
(Incidentally, Phoebe didn't bring it up, she was just forwarding an email from WereSpielChequers, so he's the one you should thank.)