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| ANKARA - Turkish Daily News The holy month of Ramadan will begin tomorrow, with people who are fasting waking up early on Sunday morning and going through the day without food or drink. The last day of fasting will be on Oct. 22, to be followed by the Ramadan Holiday (Bayram). Various charitable foundations, associations, institutions, governor's offices and municipalities around the country have prepared for the advent of Ramadan in order to celebrate it as a time for giving. All around the country, hundreds of thousands of people will be given food parcels and will be provided with free Ramadan dinners (iftar) each day. The Heath Ministry warned fasters on Friday, asking them to get up at night and eat before fasting through the day. If they fail to do this, they could suffer from headaches, tiredness and high blood pressure, said the ministry. A statement released by the ministry warned that unbalanced diets during Ramadan could result in health problems, adding: “Food should be eaten slowly and in small amounts. The fast should end with a light dish like soup and then continue with other types of food. At least 10 glasses of water should be drunk between the end of one day's fasting and the start of the next.” The first day of fasting on Sunday will end at 6:53 p.m. in Ankara, 7:09 p.m. in Istanbul and 7:16 p.m. in İzmir. Mosques will adjust prayer times in accordance with working hours. Imams were warned by the Religious Affairs Directorate about rushing the prayers and were told to spend the required amount of time for each prayer. Warnings on fasting: Denizli State Hospital dietitian Mustafa Yıldız said on Friday said those who fast should end their fast with a soup and start having their dinner 10 minutes later. He said while fasting was a very healthy act, most people suffered from weight and cardiac problems during Ramadan due to unbalanced diets. “Some fast-breaking dinners are too rich. After a day of eating nothing, our bodies cannot cope with so much rich food. Many people are hospitalized after a rich dinner at Ramadan.” Mersin Red Crescent (Kızılay) Center Director Dr. Merthan Tunay said on Friday that donating blood an hour after breaking a fast was good for one's health after noting that blood donations during Ramadan usually dropped considerably. Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Tunay said that donating blood decreased the risk of heart attack, lowered the blood's level of fat and increased the resistance of the body to disease. He said people could donate blood early in the day when fasting but added that they were against drawing blood from fasting people because fasting caused blood sugar levels to drop. People eating after a day of fasting made their metabolism work faster and increased cholesterol and fat levels in the blood, he noted, and recommended donating blood an hour after breaking their fast. Religious officials know how good donating blood after fasting was, said Tunay, noting that many of them donated blood during Ramadan. He also said making donating blood a habit was also good for the health. “Donating once or twice a year is very good for one's health.” Samsun Mufti Osman Şahin said there were no religious obstacles to donating blood during Ramadan, adding: “If there are no health hazards, donating blood does not ruin fasting. Donating blood may save lives, and that is supported by our religion.” |
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| celebrate it as a time for giving. |
| QUOTE (PEGASUS @ Sep 24 2006, 08:29 PM) |
| happy ramadan to you guys.. wats the black turkish flag for ??? sorry for my unknowlege |
| QUOTE (Thermopyles @ Oct 9 2006, 04:16 AM) |
| Good ramadan to all mates. May you have strength and clarity of mind and body. PS Awais, your Paki falg does look black... ;) |
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| at the end Turkey will become Democratic islamic stace of Turkey. |