I have used ‘Infidels’ in the ironic sense, for people who repose faith in other Gods besides (or other than) Allah and his Prophet. The health and well-being of infidels face serious threat during the month of Ramadan, especially during the 17^th and 20^th days. Now Ramzan/Ramadan might be a pious month  for the Faithful, fasting in search of peace and harmony, but it is also the period when jihadist activity reaches its fever pitch. On a typical Ramadan day, there is 25 percent more likelihood of jihadist violence than on a non-Ramadan day. Along with cultural festivities, this is also the ‘time for terror and calamity’, as radical Muslims seek inspiration from two major events of Mohammad’s life – The Battle of Badr (17^th Ramadan, AH 2) and The Conquest of Mecca (20^th Ramadan, AH 8, eight years later) – to wreak havoc upon Unfaithful and Unbelievers.

The Battle of BADR, fought on March 13^th, 624, is considered as the first one of any significance in the Islamic history. Under Mohammad’s leadership, 313 Islamic warriors defeated more than a thousand Qureish warriors of Mecca. The victory in this battle, termed as Ghazwa-tul-Badr or Jang-e-Badr, is attributed to divine intervention. After this battle, Islam became firmly entrenched in Arabia, and Mohammad’s position kept getting stronger, culminating in the Conquest of Mecca in January 630 (Ramadan 20^th, AH 8).

On the eve of the Conquest of Mecca, Abu Sufyan (most prominent merchant of the Qureish tribe) adopted Islam when he saw no other way out. He conceded that the Meccan Gods had proved powerless to protect him, and that ‘no one was worthy of worship but Allah’. Then along with his companions, the Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him, visited the Kaaba and sundry idols were destroyed to usher in the era of Truth and banish falsehood forever.

Jihadist warriors commemorate these two great Islamic events in history, falling on the 17^th and 20^th Ramadan respectively, to send appropriate message to the Faithful as well as the Unfaithful. ISIS, in fact, rates the Ghazwa-e-Badr as the only anniversary worth celebrating, even as the radical Islamic scholars frown upon Eid festivities, dubbing them as later additions to the Islamic tradition which did not exist during the time of Mohammmad.    

To cite an example, the Indian Army announced ceasing of offensive operations in Kashmir against the Jihadis during the Ramadan of 2017. The latter retaliated with six attacks upon the security forces in four hours on the Ramadan 17^th, in which many soldiers and civilians perished, and many more were injured. This was a norm in the 1990s and 2000s, when violence used to be much more savage during the Ramadan.

The 1993 Mumbai Bomb Blasts were carried out on Friday, 12^th March, 1993 which was the 19^th day of Ramadan, but the actual countdown of final preparation began on the morning of March 11^th itself, which was the Day 17 of the Holy Month.  Tiger Memon and his gang of jihadis timed the whole destruction to coincide with the anniversary of the Battle of Badr (March 13, 624) and the Conquest of Mecca to send a message to the Kafirs.

Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Shaheed Sohrawardy and other Muslim League thugs sought divine inspiration from Jang-e-Badr where ‘angels had descended from heaven to kill the Meccans’ when they planned the Direct Action Day mayhem in Calcutta. Planning for the Hindu pogrom began on August 15^th, 1946 which was the 17^th Ramadan (Badr’s anniversary).Posters of Jinnah holding the sword of Islam were distributed in Calcutta, while the Muslim League publication The Star of India reminded Muslims of the significance of the Battle of Badr and Conquest of Mecca. Syed Muhammad Usman, then Calcutta Mayor thundered- “Infidels! Your end is not far away! You shall be massacred.” The General Call to Kill the Kafirs was given from Mosques after the Friday Jumma Namaz on August 16^th, 1946. The local moulvis had already been sensitized in this regard.  Sohrawardy and other leaders assured the Faithful that the army and the police shall be restrained, and they indeed were now allowed to interfere in the bloodbath. Brutal violence was unleashed upon the clueless, leaderless Hindus. The plan was to indulge in arson, rape, loot, murder and mayhem between Ramadan 17^th -20^th , force mass exodus and change demographics of Calcutta, and its suburbs, to lay Muslim claim over them in the event of Partition (That an infidel Gopal Patha retaliated on August 18^th with such fury that tables were turned, and the jihadis were forced to sue for peace, is a rather forgotten golden chapter of the Indian history).

Badr has continued to inspire not just radical jihadists, but also the modern armies of Islamic nations. Egyptian offensive in the 1973 Yom Kippur War was dubbed as Operation Badr.  The Pakistani Army called its Kargil offensive by the same name. The brave, professional armed forces of Israel and India did not let angels descended from heaven succeed in their nefarious  designs, and beat back the respective attacks.  Iranian offensive operations in the war against Iraq were hailed after Badr. During the Libyan Civil war (2011), the rebels chose to bomb Tripoli on August 20^th (20^th Ramadan) seeking divine inspiration from the Battle of Badr and the Conquest (and destruction of idols) of Mecca.

The period between 17^th and 20^th Ramadan whets the jihadists’ appetite for bloodletting, and has seen some of the worst violence against non-Muslims and the so-called heretics among Muslims. The whole of Ramadan, especially the period between the anniversaries of Badr and Mecca Conquest should be considered as period of High Alert. Vigilance is after all, better than cure. Although the dead infidels might appreciate the irony of killing in the Holiest Month better than the living Faithful, yet one should not invite trouble by courting the jihadis with ceasefire and talks in the Ramadan.  

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#tigermemon #abusufyan #qureish #islamichistory