Five things you may not know about Ramadan

The Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins today. For hundreds of millions of Muslims, this means no eating, no drinking (not even water), and no sex during daylight hours. Those are the basic rules most of us know or have heard about Ramadan, but there are some things that you may not know about the holy month. Ramadan also means big business.

In his latest article in Foreign Policy Magazine, Vali Nasr, professor of international politics at Tufts University’s Fletcher School and the author of The Rise of Islamic Capitalism: Why the New Muslim Middle Class Is the Key to Defeating Extremism, lists five things you may not have known about Ramadan.