Ramadan in Winnipeg: Long days of fasting, but more time for reflection

This year, as my wife and I planned some summer travel, we consciously decided to spend our Ramadan at home in Winnipeg.

While the idea of spending all or a part of Ramadan in a location where days were not as long was appealing, we have grown fond of Ramadan in Canada and we decided to stay put.

Ramadan is the month-long period of fasting, observed by Muslims as one of the pillars of their faith. From dawn to sunset, observant Muslims will abstain from food and drink (including water).

This year, Ramadan — which began on May 26 and ends June 24 — coincided with the longest days of summer. While in the northern parts of Canada, where the sun does not set in summer, the length of the fast has to be approximated, here in Manitoba we just do it and fast the whole 18 hours, every day, for 30 days.

Like Christmas, Ramadan is a global event joined in by every part of the globe. It is also a vehicle for the expression of culture and values, and Canada is no exception.

A unique Canadian Ramadan culture

As the Canadian Muslim community evolves, a unique Canadian Muslim Ramadan culture is emerging. In Canada, the daily gatherings to break the fast (called iftar), organized in mosques and privately, become a quintessential multicultural experience.

A Canadian Ramadan is a whirlwind culinary tour of the world in 30 days. We recently joined a Ramadan potluck with friends whose heritage spanned almost every continent. What's a Ramadan without Indian biryani, Ethiopian injera or Ukranian perogies? (Almost) only in Canada.

When I was a child, Ramadan was always exciting. It meant special treats (lots of sugar), being allowed to stay up late, shopping for new clothes for Eid and large family gatherings (think several Thanksgiving dinners in one month).

My wife and I work hard (OK, she works hard) to make Ramadan special for our children. We want them to grow up with special memories. For example, with other families, we organize special "sleepovers," where the kids share a meal, have some fun, and stay up for as long as they want.

An opportunity to share traditions

Ramadan is also an opportunity to reach out and share with others our traditions and spirituality. My children were very excited to take treats to school and speak about Ramadan to classmates and teachers. A friend's family made beautiful decorative Ramadan lanterns, stuffed them with treats and distributed them to neighbours on her street.

For a number of years, the Grand Mosque in Winnipeg has been hosting public iftars open to the community at large and the annual "Fast and Furious" event leverages Ramadan goodwill to help those in need.

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Sharing the cultural and spiritual aspects of Ramadan, and of being Muslim, takes on a sense of urgency in our times. It is one way for us, Canadian Muslims, to reassert narrative about our faith and speak in its defence against those who act in its name but against its most scared values, like the sanctity of life.

This Ramadan comes for me at a time when Islamophobia has become real and personal.

It was just over four months ago that six Muslims were killed while worshipping at a mosque in Quebec. I have personally experienced online trolling when a photo of my family appeared in an online promotion by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. A recent re-zoning of a mosque in Winkler generated some heated online debates, and some not-so-kind comments.

This Ramadan, I will add to my long list of prayers that we be protected, as families and as communities, from hatred and racism. I will pray for my four Canadian children that they never should doubt that they can be fully Canadian and wholly Muslim.

'Quieter Canadian Ramadans'

Many immigrant Muslims miss the public celebratory culture that permeates majority Muslim countries during Ramadan. Ramadan is also prime shopping season, when families prepare to celebrate Eid, the major Islamic holiday.

While this might all seem exciting, the deeper meanings and purpose of Ramadan can be lost in the dazzle of social and commercial activities.

That's why I have come to like my quieter Canadian Ramadans. I enjoy going to the mosque and interacting with my global community. I don't mind answering the question, "Not even water?" I indulge a bit in special Ramadan treats and try to make it special for the family.

I also appreciate the fact that Ramadan is not so public in Canada. It enables me to be more focused and purposeful in my fast. I spend more time in prayer, more time with my wife and children, more time in spiritual reflection. I strive to become more patient, calmer and kinder, and I wish for a world that can do the same.

So, I am here in Winnipeg this Ramadan — and hopefully for many Ramadans to come.

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