For the first reading, below a certain cultural level we find a macho, male-centered, misogynist verse about sex, eating, drinking, and abstaining from these things.

Permitted to you, on the night of the fasts, is the approach to your wives. They are your garments and ye are their garments. Allah knoweth what ye used to do secretly among yourselves; but He turned to you and forgave you; so now associate with them, and seek what Allah Hath ordained for you, and eat and drink, until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread; then complete your fast Till the night appears; but do not associate with your wives while ye are in retreat in the mosques. Those are Limits (set by) Allah. Approach not nigh thereto. Thus, doth Allah make clear His Signs to men: that they may learn self-restraint. (Quran 2:187)

But if we immerse deeper into the context, the central theme is not the sex, eating, drinking, but something else. Let me explain. In addition to the many messages of Ramadan, one of the most important to me is the opening of our inner vision. That sounds mystical, but it's not.

Under normal circumstances, a lot of things distract our attention. Spouse, work, livelihood, I do not list. Ramadan is the month when we can’t neglect our duties, but if we have a drop of religious sentiment, we don’t just experience it as a physical achievement. I.e. we don’t just fast and when it’s time for Iftar (meal), we tick that day then eat it a lot. Even before you accuse me that Muslims are not like that, I know. I know they are not like that, but some of them are. Only those who are like this should know, it is obvious what they do. Even though they show a devout image and say always inshallah, it does not obscure the reality.
What I’m talking about is a search for a depth that requires a spiritual world. We have to stop here for a while. What does spiritual world mean? I say so strange things! Because that’s not what people who come from the circle of goat-culture talk about. Of course! They don't have that. The basis of the spiritual world is the woman, the mother, and the love she can give, especially in the first years of life. Without a mother, this cannot be formed. However, if the mother is used only as a toilet, i.e. for only sex, she cooks, doing housework, bringing up children, her husband marries some other wives beside her and she doesn’t accept this situation, she gets some slaps, finally the woman becomes something different being. If woman is used only for satisfying instincts and as a household robot, she will have eventually a communication consisting of five hundred words that will make her unable to express complex concepts. Moreover, concepts and knowledge do not develop if they are not involved in the lives of “men” where community issues are discussed. Without concepts, knowledge, and emotional fulfillment she becomes not a loving, pampering, heart-warming mother, but a psychological case that drains off the negative energies towards her child. Moreover, if all this is brought before her as a duty prescribed by Allah, then poor woman will get a distorted picture on Islam as well. And if little Ahmed gets a picture on life, faith in Allah accompanied by big slaps, then we have certainly reached the point that I want to prove. The spiritual world cannot be formed, therefore doesn't exist!
Now I have to stop again and dismiss the charges. No, I'm not saying everyone is like that. But there are many. And it is enough, if only one person is like this out of a hundred, he will be the bag of wind, the dominant one, who overshadows the behavior and lifestyle of the other 99 nice fellows. I also know that the situation is changing, and so is the role of women. Moreover, many times the sudden freedom is swinging them to the other extreme! If this happens, the result will be the same! If the balances are upset, the spiritual world does not develop. The verse above is all about limiting the instincts and seeking the spirit of Ramadan!

Here in the middle of Europe, we have no reason to condemn this situation, because we are in the process of reaching the same result. Sure, there are written rights on paper, but there are also slaps and are family lives mostly scaled for two salaries that make the child grow up without any experience of the spiritual phenomenon, which I refer to as the spiritual world, so he/she doesn’t even understand what I’m talking about now.

Well, after that, let’s turn back to Ramadan. One of the significances of this month is that the phenomenon what is about to extinct, i.e. spiritual world gets back in its place and works again. Fasting, retreat, and meditation, are no acts just for spending time. Those create the cornerstone on which the spirituality of Ramadan can be built, and if Ramadan will be like that, there is a good chance that the “spiritual world” will survive even after the period of fasting. For my part, I thank Allah for this exceptional Ramadan, when due to the lack of our community programs the rebirth of our spiritual life may be strengthened in us. If there is no spirituality, what are charity, community building, and other functions worth for?