Ramadan gives glimmer of hope in downtrodden Mosul

MOSUL, Iraq — As the scars of the Islamic State (ISIS) continue to be healed in Mosul, Iraq's largest city is in political and economic crises but Ramadan allows for a welcome respite for local Muslims.

"Today is the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, may God bring it always with goodness and security, thank God, people are going to the markets and as you can see they are shopping but today is the first day," a local customer Raed Ali told ARAB24

A quick glance at the city during the day may depict a ghost town, but it's just preparing for the hustle and bustle after the sun sets.

[P]eople are not so out and about, because they are fasting and the weather is hot, hopefully, in the coming days there will be more and more traffic here, everything is normal, people are shopping," Ali added.

The city's Muslims are hurriedly buying materials and food for the Islamic holy month.

"We the residents of Mosul are used to this, the turnout is good, and the price of food is a little bit high, because of the high turnout of citizens, hopefully in this Ramadan everything will be good," explained another local customer Ayman Mohammed.

Authorities have warned sellers of price hikes during the holy month.

However, despite some recent violations, some shop owners and locals have praised the recent security and tranquility inside the city.

"The turnout of shoppers is great, thank God, God granted us security and safety we can go out and come back with ease, no one is controlling us, there is no harassment here, and thank God, we feel serene, yesterday we witnessed a great turnout here and in all the markets in Mosul," Azzam Hashim, a shop owner in Mosul, said on Tuesday.

Ramadan began at Sundown on May 5 for Sunni Muslims and on May 6 for Shiite Muslims. It ends the evenings of June 4 and 5.

Reporting by ARAB24