The battle of Ain Jalut was fought on September 3, 1260, which corresponded to the 15th day of Ramadan. This information might come as a surprise to persons unfamiliar with Islamic history, culture and traditions. In recent years Western journalists and politicians, and opportunistic Muslims who see a propaganda opening, have expressed reservations about conducting military operations during the month of Ramadan. These concerns, however well-intentioned, would likely surprise the Prophet Mohammed were he alive today. WHAT THE KORAN SAYS The facts about Ramadan are simple. The Koran specifically states that war is prohibited during the first, seventh, eleventh, and twelfth month ("the sacred months") of the 354 day Muslim lunar calendar. Ramadan, the ninth month, is the period in which pious Muslims desist from eating, drinking, and smoking between sunrise and sunset. According to the Koran, "Ramadan is the month in which the Koran was revealed, a guidance for mankind..." (Surah ii:185). It is important to note that while many things are prohibited during this time, war is not. In fact a handful of Muslim scholars believe there is no better time to fight for a just cause than in Ramadan, and some warriors believe it is a blessing to die as a "martyr" then. As recently as 2001 radical elements of Hamas issued the following call: "Let us make Tuesday, Ramadan 17, into a day of jihad, a day of resistance to the occupation, so that the occupiers will know that our people have ousted them irrevocably." They were simply echoing a long tradition of Muslims at war during Ramadan, both as attackers and defenders, that dates back to the beginnings of the faith. RAMADAN BATTLES: A BRIEF LISTING In 624 AD (3 AH, i.e. after the Hijrah, the start of the Muslim dating system) Mohammed led a force of 313 men against the Quraishi in the battle of Badr on the 17th of Ramadan. "The great battle of Badr" was the first engagement between believers and infidels. In 630 AD on the 20th of Ramadan, a Muslim army marched on and captured the city of Mecca without a battle. The idols in the city were smashed and the Muslims had secured control of the city. Muslims, led by Tarek bin Ziyad, invaded Spanish southern frontier cities on the Andalusian coast during Ramadan in 710 defeating King Roderick. They stayed for eight hundred years. The name Gibraltar is derived from the Arabic "Jabal Tariq" (mountain of Tariq). Saladin met the Crusader army at the "Horns of Hattin" on July 4, 1187 after the "Night of Power" (Lailat ul-Qadr) - a night during the last ten days of Ramadan when tradition says that the angel Gabriel descended and God called Mohammed to be His messenger. The Crusaders were wiped out and forced to abandon Jerusalem and Transjordan. In the most recent past, Muslims have fought in conflicts that have persisted through Ramadan during thirty-eight of the last fifty-five years. In fact, there have been a total of sixty-two conflicts during Ramadan in this period. Fighting took place over two Ramadans in the 1948 Israeli War of Independence and continued without pause through nine Ramadans during the Yemeni Civil War from 1962 to 1970. During Lebanon's civil war from 1975 to 1990, fighting took place over the course of seventeen Ramadans. In 1986, Christian forces called for a Ramadan cease-fire, which lasted two weeks. In 1972, Egypt and Syria launched the Ramadan War (elsewhere known as the Yom Kippur War) codenamed Operation Badr. During 1982 Iran launched an attack on Iraq that they explicitly called "Operation Ramadan." It also rejected several attempts to establish "Ramadan ceasefires." In 2000 Al-Qaida operatives tried to bomb a U.S. destroyer, the USS The Sullivans, in the harbor at Aden, Yemen on the "Night of Power". The suicide boat was overloaded with explosives and sank. In 2001, again during Ramadan, AI-Qaida successfully bombed the USS Cole in the same harbor at Aden, Yemen. After the 2003 Iraq war, suicide bombers struck at four locations, including the Red Cross headquarters, killing at least 35 people. WHAT IT MEANS In the final analysis there may be very good reasons to support, or oppose, military operations against Muslim groups or governments during Ramadan. Combatants need to consider a number of issues. Will continued operations weaken popular support in Muslim and non-Muslim allies? Will calling a halt be taken as a sign of weakness and an opportunity to recoup? Does the military benefit outweigh the political risk? The lists and the permutations of possible questions go on. However, it is vital to recognize that the arguments for and against warfare during Ramadan can only be political, not religious. Using religion in this context is a cynical and arrogant misuse of the strength of faith and reveals a sad, but avoidable and easily correctable, misunderstanding of another culture.  Mamluk and Mongol Battle of Ain Jalut 1260 The Sack of Baghdad 1258 2003: The New Hulegu (Saddam Hussein Speech) The Mamluks: Army, Organization, and Tactics The Mongols: Army, Organization, and Tactics War and Ramadan: Myth and Reality Chronology of Events Back to Table of Contents -- Against the Odds vol. 2 no. 3 Back to Against the Odds List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by LPS. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com * Buy this back issue or subscribe to Against the Odds direct from LPS.