With Ramadan now taking place in May and June this presents a challenge for those fasting during the long days from dawn to dusk.
In Bahrain this year, according to the Ramadan timetable, there are around 15 hours of fasting daily.
The length of the fast in Bahrain is a challenge for most, but in Scotland with the long summer days it is one of the most difficult countries in the world when it comes to observing Ramadan. In winter it is not such a demanding experience with a 10-hour fast which makes it one of the shortest fasting days in the world.
Close to Scotland is Norway where in the north of the country there is no real darkness at all during the summer. As a result of this never-ending day special dispensation is given to follow the Ramadan timetables of either Saudi Arabia or the nearest Muslim country – Morocco.
Although close to Norway there is no special dispensation for Scotland. I know that some Scottish Muslims take holidays from work during Ramadan, but this is not possible for everyone. Police officers, shopkeepers, doctors, nurses, etc. must work long days whilst fasting and often in demanding circumstances. Some are having to get by on four hours sleep a day and towards the end of Ramadan are totally exhausted.
It can be especially difficult for Muslims working in the restaurant business, surrounded at all times by forbidden food. Chefs in the restaurant kitchens count down the minutes and seconds until Iftar. For those who are older the annual fast is a well-established routine but for the young and newcomers to the faith it can be a real challenge.
In the Glasgow Central Mosque as the sun sets around 500 men, women and children come together to pray at the end of their daily fast. Some 100 men will spend the last 10 days of Ramadan in the mosque, separate from the world outside, praying in the dim green lights.
Food which is provided by donations is offered to whoever cares to attend. The mix of voices tells their own story – Urdu, Weegie, Punjabi, Kurdish, Farsi, Arabic, Igho, Pashto. This eclectic mix of people from far flung parts of the world demonstrates the ethnic mix of this city. Many of these people are asylum seekers who have fled war and poverty in their home countries.
The mosque kitchen is the domain of a grey bearded man who normally runs a takeaway restaurant when he is not volunteering as the head chef at the mosque during Ramadan. The free meals provided every evening during Ramadan include rice, lamb, chicken and lots of samosas and naans. For desert there are gulab jamun which I’m told are delicious but ‘heart attack material’. All this wonderful food is washed down with the other national drink of the country, Irn Bru.
Growing up as a boy in the west of Scotland I lived in a place that did not have the richness in cultures and traditions that are an established part of who and what we are. The metaphor ‘melting pot’ comes to mind and hopefully this fusion of different cultures will continue and enhance this country at the edge of Europe.