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Personal matters have slowed and delayed me, and this is not the first time I have been late to wish all my Muslim neighbors Ramadan Kareem -- a generous month of Ramadan.
But better late than never.
This crude greeting image -- well, crude, yes, but it's also slightly brave, because I didn't filch a much prettier and more proper Ramadan Kareem card from the web. I think this might be the first time I'm not the Web Thief of Ramadan. This year I'm the talentless, ignorant graffiti tagger of Ramadan.
During this lunar month, the Prophet Mohammed received the words of the Quran. I have only read much of the Quran in English translation, the Penguin translation by the Anglo-Iraqi Dawood -- which is apparently the best-selling Quran in a language other than the original Arabic.
(Dawood also translated a lovely, delicious collection of stories from the 1001 Nights / the Arabian Nights / Alf Layla iwa Layla," also for Penguin.)
If you stick "Ramadan" in the Vleeptron search engine, you should see my efforts to wish the Umma Ramadan Kareem for, oh, at least 10 years.
Last year's was particularly beautiful: with his kind permission, a very talented astronomer's photo of the crescent moon near a single bright star. God and Nature make the most beautiful images.
I'll stop here, else I betray more of my profound ignorance about these matters.
All I can add is that this is a very troubled moment for many of the Muslim parts of the world. So if you pray, pray for Salam, Selam, Salamet, Shalom, Paz, Pax, Paix, Pace. Peace however you say it.
But please Leave A Comment about these things. Keep the dialogue going. Think generous thoughts all month.
