11 JULY 2013 - PATTANI, PATTANI, THAILAND:  Women pray in front of Pattani Central Mosque in Pattani, Thailand, Thursday night for Ramadan services. The mosque is one of the busiest in south Thailand. About 15,000 people attend nightly Ramadan services in the mosque. The crowd is so large it spills out of the mosque and onto the streets around it. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the month in which Muslims believe the Quran was revealed. Muslims believe that the Quran was sent down during this month, thus being prepared for gradual revelation by Jibraeel (Gabriel) to the Prophet Muhammad. The month is spent by Muslims fasting during the daylight hours from dawn to sunset. Fasting during the month of Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
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