Ramadan begins for much of world's 1 billion Muslims

In this story: Start date varies White thread, black thread Cairo's Ramadan traffic jam RELATED STORIES, SITES

CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- The holy month of Ramadan arrived Monday for most of the world's one billion Muslims, as the observant began daytime fasting during Islam's most sacred time of the year.

But for many Muslims, Ramadan 2000 was diminished by continued deadly clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

Some elements of Fatah, the political party of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat are calling on the Muslim faithful to escalate their intifada -- or struggle -- against Israel during Ramadan. Many Muslims believe that to die in battle during Ramadan will provide more heavenly rewards in the afterlife.

VIDEO Arafat's Fatah party calls for more violence as Ramadan starts. CNN's Tom Mintier reports (November 27) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     ALSO Commission on Israeli-Palestinian violence to visit Mideast     MESSAGE BOARD Religion today

To mark Ramadan, Israeli authorities on Monday relaxed economic and social restrictions imposed on Palestinians in Gaza.

The next several days could signal whether Ramadan will be a time of prayers for peace or of increased violence in the Middle East.

Elsewhere, Indian security forces planned to stop all combat operations against guerrillas in Kashmir from midnight on Monday in a first step to try to end more than a decade of violence that has left thousands dead.

There will be no search and destroy operations across Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir as part of the unilateral ceasefire to run throughout the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, officials said.

The head of Jammu and Kashmir state also said the ceasefire could be extended if the Ramadan truce was successful.

An army official said in New Delhi all units had been asked to suspend offensive operations against militants from midnight.

Start date varies

The exact date Ramadan begins often depends on clerics in a particular nation. Tradition holds it starts with the sighting of the new moon in the ninth month of the Muslim year, as prescribed in Islam's holy text, the Koran.

According to Islamic tradition it was during Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar calendar, that the Archangel Gabriel revealed the 144 chapters or surahs of the Koran to the Prophet Mohammed.

Not all Muslim countries began Ramadan on Monday. Iran will begin the holy month on Tuesday, when the new moon will be visible throughout the country, the official IRNA news agency said. In Senegal, a national commission charged with sighting the new moon said that because the new moon had not been sighted Sunday night the lunar month would begin there on Tuesday.

An estimated 1 billion people are followers of Islam worldwide, with an estimated 5 million to 6 million in the United States.

White thread, black thread

For the next 30 days Muslim believers are forbidden to consume anything during daytime that will give them pleasure -- for 12 hours they must go even without a drop of water.

The Koran says that one may eat and drink during the night "until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the daylight: then keep the fast until night."

Exceptions are made for the sick, travelers, children and pregnant women.

Ramadan is also a time when Muslims concentrate on their faith and spend less time on the concerns of their everyday lives. It is a time of worship, forgiveness and contemplation.

Cairo's Ramadan traffic jam

In Cairo, Egypt, Ramadan began with the customary annual traffic chaos as 16 million residents and commuters tried to be home two hours before the daily fast is broken at sunset.

To reduce noise pollution, the city imposed a ban on using automobile horns for the first time.

CNN Correspondent Tom Mintier and Reuters contributed to this report.

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