A Theological Matter of Some Urgency

So it's Ramadan, which means that Muslims are not supposed to eat or drink from sunrise until sunset. That's troublesome when Ramadan falls in the winter time, as it sometimes does because it is a lunar month and thus drifts about the Gregorian calendar, but it's harder when it falls in summer months.

It turns out it's harder still given recent Muslim immigration to Sweden.

Muslims in the Arctic Circle are urgently coming up with new rules for Ramadan when they are banned from eating during the day - as the region will have 24-hour sunshine.

A Swedish Muslim association says new guidelines are being drawn up for the fasting month, which begins on June 18 this year, as members of the religion are not supposed to eat until sunset.

It strikes me that this is a real problem for the claim that these rules were given by God through the angel Gabriel to Mohammad with the intent that they should stand as eternal and perfect rules for human beings in all times and places. Clearly they should revisit Averroes' suggestion that, occasionally, a little ijtihad might be necessary: and perhaps ask if, given this manifest example, they should not apply the rule more widely as the philosopher suggested.