ADANA, Turkey
During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslim farm workers in southern Turkey, harvesting fruits and vegetables under a blazing sun, are sometimes forced to choose between religious observance and their health and wellbeing.
Ramadan is believed to be a time of intense spirituality, when believers are surrounded by angels, the gates of heaven are open, and Allah's blessings are abundant. Observant Muslims, unless they are ill, are required to fast from break of dawn to sunset -- a fast that, in contrast to many Western fasts, proscribes even the drinking of water.
In this area, harvest season coincides this year with Ramadan. Laborers converge from different parts of southeastern Anatolia to Cukurova, Adana, known as the fertile soil of Turkey. But for farmworkers toiling under a broiling sun, with temperatures rising as high as 105 F (40 C), toiling all day without any water presents a risk.
For this labor, they earn 37 Turkish lira (about $17) a day. But they need the money.
“I came from Sanliurfa to Adana for work, because there is no work to earn money in my hometown,” said Hidir Aykan, a 15-year-old boy working in the tomato fields. “It is tough to work under 40 C. I work to help my family in our subsistence. I also fast while working. Some of our friends have quit fasting as they could not stand.”
Workers start the day early and end it whenever the work in the fields is over. Despite the increasing temperatures, many farm workers do not want to stop fasting, as they believe it reinforces their spirituality. And the workers include many women and children.
Emine Ciftci, 20, a woman from Adiyaman, a province in the southeast, said she tries not to stop her fasting but it is very difficult to do her job under the flaming sun.
Some other workers have decided the task is too difficult.
“We fasted on the first day of Ramadan, but saw that it would be almost impossible to work and fast at the same time in such hot weather” said Rahime Algac, a 45 year-old woman lining up the tomatoes in baskets. “Some of us who fasted on the first day fainted and decided not to fast again.”
Another young woman, Ebru Yilmaz, 18, said it is very difficult to work even in the shade, as it is still very hot.
Ramadan here began on June 28, and it will last 30 days. Daylight in Adana in early July lasts over 12 hours.
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