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Pandemic Changes How Muslims Observe Ramadan

Ramadan is being observed differently this year, because of the coronavirus, said Mojda Sidiqi, a local community activist and the former executive director of the Missouri Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Provided | Nash Abdullah
Ramadan is being observed differently this year, because of the coronavirus, said Mojda Sidiqi, a local community activist and the former executive director of the Missouri Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Like many religious groups, Muslims are having to shift how they observe Ramadan. 

Traditionally, the month of Ramadan is a time for prayer, fasting, community and reflection. Typically during this time mosques are filled, but the pandemic has closed them. 

“We’re missing that big communal connection,” said Mojda Sidiqi, a local community activist and the former executive director of the Missouri Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “But that’s OK, because we’re safe in our home, and we’re able to get rest and we have quiet time to read the Quran.” 

To adapt, many are hosting virtual iftars, the evening meal when Muslims break their fast. 

Sidiqi said there are also positives in the midst of the pandemic. Usually, Muslims in the U.S. have to find ways to be accommodated in their daily lives during Ramadan. 

“Every other year, everyone is running around and trying to find the time to eat and talking to their managers, like, ‘Is it OK if I take 15 minutes so that I can go break my fast? I haven’t eaten all day,’” she said. “Now all of those issues have been eliminated.”

This year, she said, many in the Muslim community are finally able to fully embrace Ramadan without the added day-to-day stresses and distractions.

“We’re all locked in the house,” she said. “We have no excuse not to be reading the Quran. We have no excuse not to meet every single one of our prayers at the time that it’s set. We have no excuse to not sit down with our family members who are quarantined with us every single day.”

Sidiqi said she hopes that during the pandemic people take this time to truly reflect on the importance and meaning behind Ramadan.

“We fast so that we can increase our self awareness, increase our empathy,” Sidiqi said. “So that we can do more good deeds. Help the needy. It’s such an amazing time to help the needy. There are people truly struggling right now. People have lost their jobs. People don’t have money to have a nice meal every single day.”

The last day of Ramadan is May 23.Follow Marissanne on Twitter: @Marissanne2011

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Marissanne Lewis-Thompson joined the KRCU team in November 2015 as a feature reporter. She was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri where she grew up watching a lot documentaries on PBS, which inspired her to tell stories. In May 2015, she graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Journalism degree in Convergence Journalism. Marissanne comes to KRCU from KBIA, where she worked as a reporter, producer and supervising editor while covering stories on arts and culture, education and diversity.
Marissanne Lewis-Thompson
Marissanne Lewis-Thompson joined St. Louis Public Radio October 2017 as the afternoon newscaster and as a general assignment reporter. She previously spent time as a feature reporter at KRCU in Cape Girardeau, where she covered a wide variety of stories including historic floods, the Bootheel, education and homelessness. In May 2015, she graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Journalism degree in Convergence Journalism. She's a proud Kansas City, Missouri native, where she grew up watching a ton of documentaries on PBS, which inspired her to tell stories. In her free time, she enjoys binge watching documentaries and anime. She may or may not have a problem.