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By Rania Tazi
Casablanca – The Moroccan phenomenon of “tramdeen” has emerged barely 36 hours after the beginning of Ramadan. Tramdeen refers to the brawls and violent altercations that are a recurring theme during the month of Ramadan, despite the pious behavior required of all Muslims in this holy month.
The side effects of fasting range from mild arguments due to irritability to fatal fights leading to hospitalization.
This was the case in Tangier, near the Al Irfane complex in an altercation between two roommates. One violently hit the other on the skull, causing fatal internal bleeding, according to Alyaoum24.
Their conflict stemmed from an argument due to the water and electricity bill that they shared, and ended with one of them, aged 24, dying from his wounds only minutes after he arrived at the hospital. The perpetrator of the crime was arrested at his home.
Another case of this social phenomenon was found again in Tangier, where two men engaged in a sabre fight in the middle of the street before bystanders separated them. A video of the event is currently going viral online.
In the region of Ain Zarka near the city of Fqih Ben Salah, residents found the body of a handicapped girl, mutilated on her face and neck, laying in her blood near the house she lived in with her family, according to the same source. An autopsy is to yet be conducted and an investigation has been opened.
Married only fifteen days prior to Ramadan, a wife was killed by husband due to a misunderstanding that occurred during their wedding night in Dmenhour. The husband is currently in police custody.
These violent altercations may seem like isolated events, but most Moroccans have experienced at one point or another the wrath of irritable fasting Moroccans in less violent manners.
One popular recipient of insults and bad moods is the person responsible for booting cars for unpaid parking tickets. Bad traffic is also a trigger for verbal altercations, as drivers have even less patience than usual.
The social phenomenon of “tremdeen” and the sudden change in behavior could be linked to the side effects generated by certain Moroccans’ dependency on food, nicotine and other substances in their daily lives. When they abstain from consuming these substances, bad moods, irritability and violence result.
