Malaysians Celebrate Iftar In New Zealand

By Ahmad Shukran Shaharudin WELLINGTON, Aug 10 (Bernama) -- "There is no Ramadan bazaar here so you have to make your own food for breaking fast", Mohd Azam Abd told Rashid, the writer of this article when he arrived in New Zealand three years ago. This episode took place three years ago. That was the writer’s first experience of performing Ramadan religious ceremonies in a foreign country, away from the comfort of home, family and friends. Mohd Azam, along with his two children, arrived in Wellington six months before the writer. He accompanied his wife who is pursuing a doctorate degree in the country. At the end of ‘Syaaban’ or when Ramadan approaches, the Wellington Mosque management and the Federation of Islamic Association of New Zealand (FIANZ), calls upon Muslims living in Wellington to monitor the movement of the ‘new moon’ to help fix a date to begin fasting. The FIANZ body is responsible for determining the time of prayer and dates for fasting during Eidilfitri, as well as procuring halal food and providing pre-school education for Muslim children. FRIDAY PRAYERS Before Ramadan each year, a FIANZ committee member tells the congregation, which has assembled for Friday prayers, to immediately inform the mosque’s imam or the FIANZ if they happen to spot the Ramadan new moon. The federation also takes into account the sighting of the Ramadan moon by people in other cities or districts of New Zealand to determine the date for the beginning of the fasting month. The date to begin Ramadan fasting is not officially announced. It is however, shared at mosques and surau, as well as on the FIANZ website. Muslims in the country share this information by exchanging SMSs, as there is no official announcement in the electronic or print media. Fasting in Wellington begins at 5am (local time) and ends at 5 pm. However, the June to September period when fasting takes place in New Zealand, are winter months, so nights are longer than day, as opposed to the fasting period in most other Muslim countries, which takes place during summer. For Muslim countries situated in the northern hemisphere, winter comes at the end of the year. ORGANISING IFTAR For Niklin Jusuf, who hails from Aceh, Indonesia and is now a citizen of New Zealand, he had to fast for 14 hours during one summer. "It was very tiring. It happened around two to three years ago", the father of three told this writer in Lower Hutt, which is a 30 minute drive north of Wellington. Malaysians living in New Zealand usually break their fast or hold the ‘Iftar’ in their homes with simple meals. Mohd Syafiq Abdullah, a Malaysian who has been living in Wellington for the last 20 years, said the Wellington Mosque on Queens Drive, in Kilbirney usually holds the ‘buka puasa’ ceremony on Ramadan weekend. "Muslim communities from countries like Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia and Malaysia take turns to organise the event. The event is also held on other days, albeit on a much smaller scale", he said. Yaakub Khan, a Fijian Muslim who operates a halal beef store in the city, usually supplies the beef, while other condiments and ingredients are sourced from a supermarket. The Wellington mosque’s imam Sheikh Mohamed Amir and mosque committee members also help the Malaysian community in organizing an ‘Iftar’ function. SIMPLE MENU Around 100 Malaysians helped with the preparations for ‘Iftar’ organised for the community recently. Some of them arrived in the morning to cook, while others came later in the day to help. The simple menu included a north Indian curry made with beef and mutton called Roganjosh, mixed pickles of cucumber, pineapple and chili, salads, fruits such as grapes and sliced oranges as well as juices. The first such event organised by the Malaysians had attracted around 300 Muslims, but this year the event drew as many as 1,000 people. Relations among the various Muslim communities from Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Fiji, Somalia, Turkey and other nations have gotten a boost because of these ‘Iftar’ functions. -- BERNAMA