Arab Unrest, High Food Prices Cast Pall On Ramadan

From Syria to Libya and Egypt, the uprisings and unrest gripping the Arab world have cast a pall on the start of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month when the traditional focus on piety will likely be eclipsed by more unrest.

Food prices — part of the economic hardships that catalyzed the ouster of the Egyptian and Tunisian leaders — are still climbing. And protesters have shown little patience for conciliatory gestures by governments after decades of empty promises.

With momentum strong to drive out authoritarian regimes, there is no sign that opposition forces will ease up on protests — even with the difficulties of the month of dawn-to-dusk fasting that begins Monday.

Predictions of a tense Ramadan have already started to be realized.

Libyan rebels are turning their weapons on each other, dimming hopes for the overthrow of longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Syrian security forces escalated their crackdown on protesters the day before Ramadan on Sunday, killing more than 70 people. And the violence in Syria is only expected to intensify throughout the holy month.

In Egypt, Cairo's Tahrir Square is once again a tent encampment and the joyous celebrations that accompanied Hosni Mubarak's fall on Feb. 11 have given way to anger and impatience over the slow pace of change.