Christian man in Gaza brings dates and water to Muslims stuck in the Ramadan rush hour
GAZA (Reuters) – In the hour before sunset during Ramadan, the streets of Gaza clog with cars as people race home in time to break their fast with their families.
Frustrated drivers honk their horns or try to break through traffic jams, and accidents are more frequent than usual as a full day without food or water clouds concentration and tempers.
For those unfortunate enough to miss the breaking of the fast entirely due to heavy traffic, Ehab Ayyad is a welcome sight.
The Christian from Gaza offers dates and water to break the fast of Muslims who are delayed in traffic or at home late, in accordance with the tradition of the Prophet.
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Five years ago, Ayyad began offering neighbors dates and water, the first thing Muslims usually eat when they end their fast at sunset, and decided to make the offering universal.
“As a Christian, I offer my Muslim brothers dates and water as a way of sharing because we live in the same homeland and have the same blood,” Ayyad, 23, told Reuters at his home, which is decorated with lanterns and small statues of the Virgin Mary. “They first wondered how a Christian does it, but as the days went by, they looked forward to seeing me every year,” he said.
“The reactions are positive and I am happy and proud.”
Gaza, the stretch of coast that has been under an Israeli-led blockade since 2007 and is run by the Islamist Hamas group, has only about 1,000 Christians, most of them Greek Orthodox, out of a population of 2.3 million.
“It’s not their month and they’re not fasting, but they feel with us and that’s a good thing,” coffee shop owner Louay Al-Zaharna said after receiving one of Ayyad’s gifts.
At his home, Ayyad got help from a 13-year-old Muslim neighbor to prepare the packages.
“On our holidays, our Muslim neighbors come to visit and congratulate us, and we do the same on their holidays,” Ayyad said.
(Reporting by Nidal Almughrabi; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
Copyright 2023 Thomson Reuters.
