Capt Ayhab

Ms. Azarin

Thanks for your comment and your time.

I think you had the jest of the thread sort of backwards.  This has nothing to do with any religion, political system or country. My purpose was , as I have mentioned at the beginning of the thread, to look at the issue from a totally different angle. The focus of the thread was medical and scientific, as opposed to oppression and brutality of IR regime.

I have tried to demonstrate the benefits of proper diet, particularly fasting REGARDLESS of religious and political ramification.

Respectfully

-YT 

Mr. Faryarm

I appreciate your informative and unbiased comment on the subject. I do always enjoy your blogs and debates, as it is always logical, informative and civil.

I regret that you and all the decent people of IC had to witness the ugliness and rudeness of certain characters.  One can only confront them because no democratic and progressive society will condone such despicable and hateful behaviors.

If it was not form their nauseating and hateful ideologies, we as decent people will not appreciate and DEFEND what is most valuable in each society, being tolerance, love and compassion toward all man kind, in the spirit of free speech.

Respectfully

-YT 

To all

Thank you all for your time and your comments. Sorry for delay in answering.

As you decent ladies and gentleman, whether you agree with the concept of fasting or not, notice this humble thread regretfully demonstrated a very ugly side of some certain individuals. 

It is truly a shame to see how low some people can stoop in demonstrating their ignorance, stupidity, bigotry and absolute lack of social civility. Disagreeing with someone is the heart of a logical and informative debate. That is how we as a DECENT human beings communicate with one another and learn from each others experience and knowledge.

As to my own part, I do apologize if any of my comments  has bothered any one of you DECENT people. I firmly believe that every honest and decent human being should do their part in confronting hate, bigotry and racism. No matter how ugly the HATERS get. 

Respectfully

-YT 

Rosie Jan

The reason I usually do not flag the bigots because I like for everyone to see who they are. But you are correct, one should ignore them altogether.

Thanks for your well organized comment. I enjoyed reading it.

-YT 

Ahmad agaa,

Would you please spare us from teaching Qoran's verses and Islamic BS here on iranian.com. Give us a break man, we have enough Muhllas in Iran and islamist in Iranian.com and believe me we don't need one form Bahrain. Who was Emam Jafar Sadegh? Was he educated? From what univeristy he got his degree? You are referring to the guy who had nothing in mind beside eating and having sex on the back of a Camel, right?

Emam jafar sadegh: A man can have sex even on the back of a camel whenever he has the desire to do so. Bah, Bah che Maghzee dashteh en jafar agaa!

Fasting: Fundamentally a discipline & Spiritual in character...

Amidst this heated discussion about  Fasting ; perhaps this might be a positive contribution to the nature and benefits of fasting, as practiced both Iranian and Non Iranian Bahais; where the 19 days immediately before Naw Ruz become a period of fasting; when it ends with celebration of Naw Ruz by Bahais all over the world.

"As has been the case with other revealed religions, the Bahá'í Faith sees
great value in the practice of fasting as a discipline for the soul .
Bahá'u'lláh designated a nineteen-day period each year when adult Bahá'ís fast
from sunrise to sunset each day. This period coincides with the Bahá'í month
of Ala (meaning Loftiness), from March 2 to 20, inclusive. This is the month
immediately preceding the Bahá'í new year, (Naw Ruz) which occurs the day of the vernal
equinox; and the period of fasting is therefore viewed as a time of spiritual
preparation and regeneration for a new year's activities. Women who are
nursing or pregnant, the aged, the sick, the traveler, those engaged in heavy
labor, as well as children under the age of fifteen, are exempt from observance
of the Fast.

"The fasting period, which lasts nineteen days starting as a rule from the
second of March every year and ending on the twentieth of the same month,
involves complete abstention from food and drink from sunrise till sunset. It
is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation,
during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in
his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in
his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual
in character. Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish
and carnal desires."1

Fasting is the cause of awakening man. The heart becomes tender and the
spirituality of man increases. This is produced by the fact that man's
thoughts will be confined to the commemoration of God, and through this
awakening and stimulation surely ideal advancements follow... Fasting
is of two kinds, material and spiritual. The material fasting is
abstaining from food or drink, that is, from the appetites of the body.
But spiritual, ideal fasting is this, that man abstain from selfish
passions, from negligence and from satanic animal traits. Therefore,
material fasting is a token of the spiritual fasting. That is: `O God!
As I am fasting from the appetites of the body and not occupied with
eating and drinking, even so purify and make holy my heart and my life
from aught else save Thy Love, and protect and preserve my soul from
self-passions... Thus may the spirit associate with the Fragrances of
Holiness and fast from everything else save Thy mention.'2

Dear Captain, I'd say not

Dear Captain,

I'd say not fasting! I'm no medical expert, but I know if I fast one whole day, i will eat too much later, plus I'd mess up my metabolism. So all the healthy diets of today (you can check WebMD) advise people to eat small portions every 3-4 hours.

But if someone likes to fast, it's his/her choice, and we all should be free to choose whatever we like to do. What's great about America is that every one is free to do whatever he/she likes to do. I've even seen people here who are fasting all the time (anorexics), or people who never stop eating (ultra obese people). Nobody tells them what to do or nobody would arrest them because they're not following the health rules. 

This is the biggest advantage of America compared to Iran!

One of my friends in 80's got arrested and beaten up because she was chewing gum during the month of remezan. Did those basijis and those women Belphegor had the right to beat her up just because she didn't want to fast?  I'd say 'No'! You might say 'Yes' and this is what is separating me from you, Captain!

So let's enjoy our freedom of having a choice and lets' not force our choice on others, and especially let's wish the same rights for our compatriots who live in Iran (who are forced to pretend to fast and to namaz, etc...)!

Thanks, Azarin

Health Benefits

Without commenting on the religious aspects of fastings, I am not sure if there are any health benefits that come out of it.  I can see the body having some respite from eating for some period of time, but it just strikes me as extremely unhealthy to overload a starving body with enormous amounts of food (let's face it, poeple gorge after fasting) all at once, and then pretty much to continue to eat untill dawn, during a period where there is no considerable excercise and burning of all those calories.  And then to further the havoc on the body, most people either sleep or move very little the rest of the day while they're fasting.  Therefore, only a small amount of all that caloric intake is actually used by the body. 

Most experts recommend a few small meals a day as the best, and healthiest, eating habit.  Fasting turns that theory on its head.  In fact, most of the people who I know ---and who fast---actually gain weight during Ramadan, which is consistent with what the theory of few small meals a day.

That's my two cents on the health issue. 

Shame

You guys name calling each other. Try a little respect even for those who disagree with you.

You are all Iranians and I like to see we respect each other, after all majority of Iranians are Muslims, so we can't go bashing them just because they hold on to certain religious beliefs.

Here is a verse from the Quran: "Wa jadiloohom bi alati hia ahssan", means answer them with kindness - referring to those who hold different views to Muslims when they are drawn into debate.

In another place if someone attacks you verbally then hold your peace and remain silent.

There is also a persian saying: jawab ahmaqan sokootist. It is a little below the belt but conveys the point.

I love you all.

Ahmed from Bahrain

jamesbund

if islam is the religion of belly and underbelly; then how do you account for Immam Jefferi Sadiq saying that: - (I translate from Arabic)

"Whosoevers concern in this life is his belly and his underbelly then his value is equal to what comes out from his rear".

I suggest you differentiate between those who are aware of their actions in life and those who have no regards to others. Many of such people hold religious beliefs from various religions. It does not make them vile collectively, which you seem to be promoting.

Faith or lack of it does not guarantee goodness of heart and kindness to others. I know many from both camps and they are all good people. I would not demean them for their faith or lack of it. I find people as I find them and not because of their names, nationality race or religion.

I do apologise if I am mistaken.

Ahmed from Bahrain

Learn To Respect Each Other Please!

مردمان کامنت نویس: شما چرا اینهمه سر همدیگه داد میزنید؟ چرا به همدیگه توهین می‌کنید؟ یکی‌ دلش می‌خواد روزه بگیره، ولش کنید، به شما چه مربوطه؟ یکی‌ از اسلام بدش میاد، بذار بیاد، به شما چه مربوطه؟  ما میخواهیم که در آینده یک ایرانی‌ داشته باشیم که به عقیدهٔ هر کس احترام گذاشته میشه.  این شروع خوبی‌ برای این هدف نیست. 

Fasting has two functions in a culture

1) health reasons; and

2) a ritual abstention which is considered a sacrifice to a perceived 'supernatural' power.

On the health end there are all kinds of other religious dietary laws you can see which are really for health reasons, such as the taboo on pig meat among Jews and Christians, which obviously, if not very well prepared can be poisonous. Actually these traditions are not really religious in essence, they are there for health reasons.

Fasting is bad for hypoglycemics (low blood sugar) but this conditionis due to high sugar intake which was not prevalent until the modern era. They will black out. It is also bad for people who live in very cold climates and I doubt you would find prescribes in the traditions of the Inuit of Alaska, say.

2. On the sacrifice side: there are all kinds of self-sacrifice rituals in most religious bellief systems. Some of the most severe ones which everyone must follow are the adolescent initiation rites of most tribal societies. Fasting would usually be a fairly moderate one. Then as the society gets more modern, you see it less and less. For instance, Protestants no longer celebrate Lent, itself not really even a form of fasting, already an evolution away from fasting.

The sacrifice side and the health side together will be in harmony as long as the fast is not too long, people who can't tolerate it are allowed to break it and water is allowed.

Coming from the desert as the original Muslims do, it would look like the balance is on the side of the sacrfice, not the health, because a really healthy fast should have a lot of water. And in the desert during the day all the more. But the other side of the coin is that the water was probably impure, so there was a health benefit to not drinking the water. That should not exist for most Muslims today, but once these traditions are writtien into the holy texts, they take far longer to change than the times take to change.

Also, I do believe Muslims who are getting sick from the fast are allowed to break it. So that is a plus. Correct me if I'm wrong.

_________________________-

ps Can't we just ignore the obstreperous people? Captain you will never 'expose' bigotry by yelling at it here, it will just get worse. People here YELL BACK, and Captain since people seem to be generally unwilling to flag, I have no idea why, all you will wind up doing is ruining your own blog. Once is enough, then IMHO, leave it.

I would like to flag more than I do but I am in the privileged position that if I suggest something to the publisher he will do the opposite. Yes, it's true, I am one of the elite, in fact I may be the entire elite (lol, sort of...)'. As for the rest of you mere mortals, please do as I say, not as I do. In my soul I am, and always have been, a flagger.

ps I did flag one post below to test out the waters (no pun intended on the fasting part...).  Good to check on my status from time to time. But that post should've been flagged LONG ago. Along with some others, I'll let you guess which.

re-edit

wait

Who cares?

ادم (؟) باید چقدر حقیر و ابله باشد که به هر  آشغالی چنگ بزنه و جفنگ گویی یک سری ادمهایی مثل خودش را به عنوان دلیل و مدرک برای اثبات چرندیات و مهملات خود توی بلاگش بنویسه،  و همچنین در طرفداری از یک دین و ایین ضد بشری به نام اسلام  و نگه داشتن همشهری جنایتکارشان علی گدای کثیف تخم چنگیز بر سر قدرت به هر دریوزگی تن دهد.  نه پسر جان تو ایرانی نیستی ،همان روزه ات را بگیر و تمام روز را گرسنگی بکش بعد مو قع افطار شکمت را پر مواد چرب و شیرین بکن تا قند خونت در کمتر از ده دقیقه به ٦٠٠ برسه و در مدت کوتاهی در کنار محمد و علی و حسین ....و خمینی با ٧٢ ویرجین در بهشت خیالیتان یک قول دو قول بازی کنید.

Fa_t-eh (fill in the blank)

Your writing style suggests you're a hateful moron. No use to confirm, we all know that's right. If you're Persian you should be able to read this

عرر احمق بتر از جرمش بود;
عرر نادان زهر هر دانش بود

ابی جان

ابی جان ما مخلصیم دربست

-YT 

کاپیتان جان

One learns sth new everyday.

Sepaas for info.

.....teem!!

Ebi aka Haaji

برادر حسین .اوباما. هم تبریک گفت

a closet mooselem

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R4KfYuDrvU&feature...

"Better to live for just a single day as a ruler than to live for forty years as an abject slave."

B.K.

Ms Little Big Tweet

You never fail to impress me with your honesty and candor.

Sepass

-YT 

Sassan2

Foolish is what a foolish sees.

You sir, simply do not have the intelligence to hold a civil and logical debate. To you everything is a shouting match, that is all you know. Debating with you is just like debating with a chair, a plastic kind. ;-)

-YT 

Salar Ebi

Fasting in my opinion is part of a whole picture of healthy life. If you are asking whether I fast ONLY during month of Ramazan, my answer might surprise you.

As I mentioned in my earlier comment, I am genetically prone to cardiovascular disease and diabetes, as a result I fast all through out the year as my body requires it. Thanks to fasting and proper exercise I am YET to resort to insulin. Anytime the sugar level increases in my blood system, I fast for day or two, some times even 3 day or 4 day until it comes down to normal level, without having to use any medication.

Many medical doctors and scientists agree on the benefits of fasting, HOW?  Let me give you a simple example: I am certain that you have had to have some blood work or some medical test done. Most every medical test they do requires fasting before the exam, for at least 12 hours prior to the test. WHY?

Fasting normalizes your metabolism and circulatory system, in order for the test[being blood work, glucose level or cholesterol]. to result is accurate reading of all toxins. Even before any surgical procedure the patients are put on fast to minimize the effects of anesthesia.

Asides from that sir, in west, particularly in US, we eat too much of everything. Just look around you, America is the FATTEST nation on the planet. Obesity is to the level of national crisis these day.

Thanks pal for your comment and your time.

Sepass

-YT 

fozolie Jan

You stated[I don't buy your defence at all. Your argument seems to be you need religion to have a healthy life. It is the same fallacial argument about religion and morals.]

Dear sir, I neither am selling anything here nor defending an issue. I am personalty a believer in a proper dietary regiment for a healthy and long life. If you ask me whether I observe the fasting strictly in this particular month my answer would be a big fat NO.

Healthy life has nothing to do with a religious belief of a person. Scientist of all shapes and colors unanimously agree on the principle of proper diet and most notably on fasting. 

I regret that you see this as a marketing or defensive argument, which I clearly state in the first paragraph the purpose of the blog. I am not a scientist nor am I a religious scholar. I strongly believe that fasting, along with proper exercise routine and dietary regiment brings about better quality of life, particularly after age of 50.

Thanks for your time and comment.

-YT 

Foolish!

Isn't it interesting how die-hard Islamists always try to portray Islam as a "scientific" faith (din-e-elmy). This deceptive Muslim's thinking process goes something like this: scientists and doctors say fasting is very good for the body. Islam says one must fast. Therefore, Islam is a forward thinking scientific faith.

These phony-baloney Muslims will never stop their deceptive ways. Do not be fooled. Islam is exactly as Osam Bin Laden sees it -- every other Muslim practices a watered-down version of Islam, in order to live in society, as opposed to caves. 

Funny how Christians never try this sort of nonsense -- maybe that's because Christians are too busy ruling the world, they don't need to artificially hype their backward religion.

I am sorry Captain but

I don't buy your defence at all. Your argument seems to be you need religion to have a healthy life. It is the same fallacial argument about religion and morals.

The extension of Ramazan  to a whole month is one of the many examples of the extremes Mohammad was prepared to go to establish Islam as national Arab movement. 

Sorry the whitewash does not work.  

 Mr. Fozolie

Faranmarz,

you forgot the salaat, that is the only time they wash bloods off their hands.or do ghossleh jonoobs . Thst's why it is said: Islam is the religion of the belly and under the belly ".

Shaad zi 

Bund, Jimz Bund

...........

for all the things I hate about IRI ;But I sure miss those sahari with my  old dad back home .

down with IRI & its supporters.    Maziar

Right on (Fasting at Evin)

Agha Fateh, although I do not agree with your sentiment on some issues, but I've got to give you a standing ovation on this one. Right on Bro.

کاپیتان جان

In my humble opinion,everyone should practice what he/she preaches.One talks about freedom,then he/she redicules others for their religious beliefs.I personally don't fast & don't believe in it at all,but I always congratulate my friends who fast in Ramazan.

Happy fasting.

Ebi aka Haaji

Thank you for the info

I haven't fasted in my life (I already eat like a bird) but I can see it has positive effects on you. Mah Ramezan Mobarak, namaz roozatoon ghabool basheh!

Thank You Captain

illuminating as always.
Perfect answer to bigots and islamophobes.