Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (Sawm) to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief. This annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month lasts 29–30 days based on the visual sightings of the crescent moon, according to numerous biographical accounts compiled in the hadiths.

With US troops deployed throughout Muslim countries, I requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) the rules, regulations and policies that were issued by CENTCOM to U.S. soldiers and personnel on how to act around the time of Ramadan.

I was not expecting it to take more than FOUR YEARS to get the requested documents, many of which were classified SECRET and had never been released to the public before.

Below, you will find the responsive documents. The documents included in the PDF are:

1. FRAGO Ramadan Procedures
2. FRAGO 903 Ramadan
3. Ramadan Letter
4. Ramadan Related Issues
5. Ramadan Restrictions
6. Talking Points to ANNEX P Ramadan
7. General Order No. 1C
8. Ramadan 2014 Do’s and Don’ts

Document Archive

 Ramadan Orders and Procedures Issued by Central Command (CENTCOM), Released September 2018 [29 Pages, 3.8MB]

 Full FOIA Case File for the Above Request [33 Pages, 16MB] – Although I went after the case processing notes for the above — CENTCOM said all of those documents were exempt, and did not release them. They re-released the original documents. Nothing new here, but archived here for reference.

 Ramadan Orders and Procedures Issued by Air Forces Central Command (USAFCENT), Released February 2018 [15 Pages, 0.7MB]

The post Ramadan Orders and Procedures Issued by Central Command (CENTCOM) first appeared on The Black Vault.

This was an information paper that was found during a 2014 FOIA request to CENTCOM. At the time, I requested the following:

“I respectfully request a copy of all documents, electronic or otherwise, that pertain to orders to military personnel and contractors, about how they are expected to observe Ramadan and how they are supposed to act in other countries during this time.”

CENTCOM forwarded the below pages to OSD/JS for review and release, and I was sent them on September 8, 2017.

(See also: NSA Observance of Ramadan)

Document Archive

Combat Operations in the Global War on Terrorism during Ramadan, 2001 [8 Pages, 1.1MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/dod/17F0758_DOC_02_Combat_Ops_During_Ramadan-Slides_10-23-2001.pdf

The post Combat Operations in the Global War on Terrorism during Ramadan, 2001 first appeared on The Black Vault.