Ramadan. Actually, I don't know enough about it. Of course I know that you are not allowed to eat, drink or smoke between sunrise and sunset (or rather, from dawn). And at the end there is a delicious meal during Eid-al-Fitr (but that is now running out Tuesday or Wednesday celebrated?). During an episode of De Slimste Mens I might have come across the goal of 'cleansing the mind and body', but to be honest: after that it actually stops.

Where the NOS reported this week about the economic opportunities that these days bring for retailers, there are also social opportunities that I have seen little of. Because to also refresh your knowledge: Ramadan goes further than just fasting. It is a month in which tolerance, generosity, charity and solidarity receive more attention.

That I had to be reminded of this by a teaser for the Ramadan conference and then went to Wikipedia, says enough about me and the white bubble in which I live. It has put me on edge for next year. At a time when almost every company is or wants to be concerned about social inclusion and closing social gaps, this would have been an excellent moment for great initiatives and putting these topics on the map.

Should Ramadan be commercialized? If it were up to me, not, but a little more attention to the friends and families who come together during iftar, the extra attention given to the lonely in society and the numerous initiatives in which money is raised for people in poor parts of the world, we are all better off. On to next year.

This blog was written by: Lars Ykema