African Muslims welcome Ramadan under pandemic lockdown

As Muslims begin the holy month of Ramadan under a lockdown due to the novel coronavirus, they say they will miss congregational prayers and feasting with communities during fast-breaking at sunset.

“This is an unprecedented beginning of Ramadan for South Africans and most of the 1.6 billion Muslims throughout the world,” Dr. Faisal Suliman, chairman of the South Africa Muslims Network (SAMNET), told Anadolu Agency in an interview Thursday.

Suliman said although Muslims who are fasting will continue performing their daily prayers at home during the lockdown, they will sorely miss congregational prayers at mosques.

“One of the key aspects of Ramadan is the sense of community that occurs within mosques, within homes and in the general community. But this will be absent this year,” he said.

It is a common practice for Muslims to break their fast with family members and friends at sunset, strengthening family bonds and friendships.

They also usually go to the mosque to perform evening prayer known as Tarawih.

But, the Muslim world this year is experiencing a rather different Ramadan as authorities have barred many people from congregating in one place due to the spread of coronavirus throughout the world.

Schools, mosques and churches have all been shut down and people are being asked to stay home during the lockdown period to curb the spread of the virus.

South Africa is currently in its fourth week of a 35-day lockdown. Other African countries such as Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda have imposed tough restrictions and night curfews.

Suliman urged Muslims to remember those who are underprivileged or in conflict areas like Syria, Yemen, Kashmir, Congo and Sudan among others who might find great difficulty during this holy fasting month.

“This is the time for those who have resources/wealth to reflect and think about those who do not,” he said.

Riyaaz Ismail, a Cape Town resident, said he will miss cooking food for the poor and then distributing it at the mosque.

“I will also miss chatting to friends after Tarawih,” he said in an online interview with Anadolu Agency.

For her part, Saraha Akello, a master’s student in the Ugandan capital Kampala, said the lockdown creates a perfect time for her to communicate with her creator without disruptions of noise that were common in Kampala before the lockdown.

“I will miss socializing with Muslim women groups. We used to meet every Ramadan and recite the holy Quran. It is sad this virus has affected our lives,” Zainab Ahmed, another Kampala resident, told Anadolu Agency in a virtual interview.

She said this year the responsible thing to do for Muslims is to share the spirit of the holy month emotionally but stay away physically to avoid the spread of COVID-19.