From Iraq to Lebanon to the Sinai, the month of prayer and after-dark feasting is now a month of heightened security.

Egyptian police planned increased watchfulness throughout the month, while insisting no specific threats had been received. But Israel warned its citizens to stay away from Egypt’s beach resorts in the Sinai peninsula, calling the threat of attacks substantial.

Militants have not issued specific Ramadan-related threats, but the spike in violence in recent years - especially suicide attacks in Iraq - has been notable.

One possible reason is the belief by some Islamic extremists that those who die in combat for a holy cause during Ramadan are especially blessed.

“This is a month that has a spiritual feel to it, which condones the issue of jihad (holy war),” said Diaa Rashwan, an Egyptian expert on Islamic groups. Tradition holds the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) led his forces in winning battles against non-believers during Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month on the Islamic calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon.

Observance this year starts Tuesday across much of the Middle East, following the announcement by religious officials that the new crescent moon had been sighted Monday night.

Saturday’s blasts in Bali came as Indonesia - the world’s most-populous Muslim nation - was preparing to celebrate Ramadan, which begins there on Wednesday.

Muslims believe God began to reveal the Quran, the Islamic holy book, to Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) more than 1,400 years ago during Ramadan. Muslims are expected to abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk in order to focus on the spiritual.

Muslims spend long periods in mosques and attempt to read the entire Quran during the month. It is believed that during Ramadan, good deeds are rewarded 10 times.

But, in countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Ramadan is also a month of festivities, large after-dark meals and endless TV specials. Cafes and special Ramadan tents stay packed until dawn and traffic jams snarl streets late into the night.

In Lebanon, Ramadan comes at a time of high tension as a U.N.-mandated probe into former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination nears its end. The Lebanese fear the continuation of a series of bombings that have rattled the country since Hariri was killed.

Nevertheless, the bustling sidewalk cafes, restaurants and shops in downtown Beirut are jammed these days with local residents and tourists from other Mideast countries who come to dine, smoke water pipes or just stroll through the district.

In Egypt, an Islamic group that previously claimed responsibility for this summer’s attacks at Sharm el-Sheik vowed Sunday to launch an all-out war against Israelis, Americans and Egyptian police. An Egyptian security official said security was high across the country. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the press.

Israel urged its citizens not to travel to Egypt’s Sinai peninsula during the upcoming Jewish holidays, which coincide with Ramadan’s start, because Arab militants were planning to kidnap Israeli tourists there.

Only about 1,000 Israelis were in the Sinai on Monday, the start of the New Year holiday, Yitzhak Hai, manager of the Taba terminal, told the Yediot Ahronot daily.

“This time I can say that we have very substantial information,” Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told Israel TV.

Kfir Pavzaner, an Israeli who had just returned from Sinai’s Ananda Beach, described the scene: “As soon as the warning was announced it became like a huge storm that washed the Israelis out of Sinai. Suddenly there were rumors that Israelis will be kidnapped and they kept circling.”

Debates about Islamic extremism have also become a routine part of Ramadan.

“Political and economic reform can’t take place without religious reform,” Ahmed al-Rubei, a liberal Kuwaiti columnist, wrote Monday in the pan Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat. “Religious reform requires courage from preachers and religion scholars. There is a majority that is afraid of expressing its ideas.”

The countries that announced Tuesday as the beginning of the fast were: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Oman was an exception. Its Islamic clerics told Omanis to start fasting Wednesday after they failed to see the moon on Monday night.