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      Diaba Konaté loves France. But a hijab ruling stops her playing there

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Friday, 15 March - 09:00

    The point guard is a talented prospect. But the French Federation of Basketball’s ban on religious headwear means she cannot play in her hometown of Paris

    The energy radiating from Diaba Konaté is palpable, even over our transatlantic Zoom chat. The wide-smiling college star has dreamed of playing basketball in the States ever since she was a young girl. She moved to the US from France in December 2018 on a full scholarship from Idaho State University, later transferring as a junior to the University of California, Irvine.

    The 23-year-old point guard’s collegiate highlights include averaging 8.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game as a junior, ranking among the top-30 in the nation with her free-throw percentage, and tying eighth in single-season school history with 63 steals. She also reached 1,000 points in her collegiate career after dropping a season-high 20 against UC Santa Barbara in February 2023.

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      Ramadan around the world – in pictures

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Friday, 15 March - 07:00


    The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, featuring celebrations, prayers, pre-dawn breakfasts and post-sundown meals, began at sunrise Monday in the Middle East and a day later in much of Asia. In the Muslim lunar calendar, months begin only when the new moon is sighted, which can lead to variations of a day or two

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      What foods will best prepare me for a day of fasting?

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Tuesday, 12 March - 14:00 · 1 minute

    With Ramadan now upon us and Lent well under way – and with fasting generally often used as a tool for better health – we ask our panel how to optimise nutrition to fit around those lean periods

    The best meals to set you up for a period of fasting
    Muslims around the world have now begun Ramadan, fasting from sunrise to sunset every day for a month, and we are also well into the Christian period of Lent. Of course, people fast for other reasons, too: intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating have rocketed in popularity in recent years, being normalised by the 5:2 diet recommended by Dr Michael Mosley , social media influencers and, er, Rishi Sunak, who recently admitted he stops eating on Sunday at 5pm for a day and a half . That’s not to say the latter approach is for everyone: “Intermittent fasting can be seen as a fad diet, and I’m not pro fad diets,” dietitian Priya Tew says. “I am pro people finding a long-term, sustainable way of eating for their health and their bodies, though.” Whatever your reasons, or if you’re simply trying to make it from breakfast to lunch to dinner without consuming half a pack of Hobnobs, which foods are going to sustain you best?

    As with most things in life, it’s all about balance: “Make sure you’ve got your protein, your carbohydrates, focus on higher fibre wholegrains, alongside some healthy fats,” Tew advises. At breakfast, that might mean the classic avocado and eggs on toast – “It’s nutritious, hits all our food groups and tends to be quite filling” – or scrambled eggs and veg all wrapped up in a wholemeal tortilla.

    Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com

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      Ramadan is beginning – but it’s my humanity, not my Muslim faith, that makes me weep for Gaza | Tahmima Anam

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Monday, 11 March - 10:00

    My family in Bangladesh will come together to fast and pray. Yet our feelings for Palestinians are based on secular values of equality and justice

    I have not been a devout Muslim. I don’t fast or pray. I have never been to Mecca to make the hajj pilgrimage. I’ve only read the Qur’an in English – not in Arabic, as many Bangladeshi children do.

    Instead of learning Arabic verses, I was raised on a diet of Marx, Mao and liberation theology. My bedtime reading was Nehru’s Letters from a Father to a Daughter, written while he was imprisoned alongside Mahatma Gandhi during the Indian independence struggle.

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      ‘This time it’s really hard’: British Muslims reflect as Ramadan begins

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Sunday, 10 March - 19:22

    Holy month to begin against backdrop of bombardment of Gaza and rise in Islamophobic incidents

    Thousands of people are expected to attend evening prayers at the East London Mosque to mark the beginning of Ramadan, a deeply significant time of spirituality and community for Muslims.

    The shared experience of fasting and worship during the holy month, which begins on Monday in the UK, “reinforces a sense of unity and common purpose within the British Muslim community”, according to Sufia Alam, the head of programmes at the mosque.

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      Ramadan in Gaza: ‘We used to adorn our street, now everything around us is bleak’

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Sunday, 10 March - 15:13

    Displaced families prepare to spend holy month in Rafah amid food shortages and fear of attack

    Seventy days after they were forced to leave their house in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, Hanaa al-Masry, her husband and their six children are preparing for Ramadan in their new home: a dilapidated tent. Here, there will be no decorations, no joyous family meals and no reading of the Qur’an under the lemon and orange trees in the garden.

    The Muslim holy month – a time for friends and family as well as religious contemplation, prayer and fasting – starts on Monday and will be like none that anyone in Gaza can remember.

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      ‘Waiting for the storm’: Israelis and Palestinians fear difficult week as Ramadan starts

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Sunday, 10 March - 05:00

    Key site is al-Aqsa mosque on what Jews call the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Peaceful access for Muslims could send a message of calm

    Israelis and Palestinians are bracing themselves for a tense and ­potentially violent week, with no sign of a ­ceasefire likely in Gaza and calls from Hamas for protest marches around the Islamic world to mark the start of Ramadan on Monday.

    Earlier this month, a halt to hostilities before the Muslim holy month looked possible, but hopes have dimmed since indirect talks in Cairo ended without progress last week.

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      Maqluba, spicy salad and pickles: Sami Tamimi’s Palestinian recipes for iftar

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Saturday, 9 March - 10:00

    A traditional maqluba – an upside-down layered treat of rice, veg and meat – with sides of pickled aubergine and a spicy, herby courgette salad

    Ramadan in Jerusalem holds a special place in my heart, and evokes a blend of spirituality, community and tradition. A vibrant atmosphere envelops the city, the streets come alive with bustling markets selling festive foods, sweets and decorations, and the aroma of fresh baking fills the air.

    Sami Tamimi is a chef and food writer.

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