Ramadan in Germany has an international flavour

By Tareq Haris Aug 12, 2011, 2:06 GMT

Berlin - Like their brothers and sisters around the world, Germany's 4 million Muslims look forward to Ramadan, the holiest month in Islam, when the faithful fast from sunrise to sunset and focus on God and leading a good life.

More than half the Muslims living in Germany are of Turkish origin. Most of the rest come from Arab or African countries, but there are also several thousand Germans who have converted to Islam.

Freedom of worship is guaranteed under the German constitution, but many Muslims feel that it isn't as easy to celebrate Ramadan in Germany as in the Muslim world.

Nehru Abdul-Mohsen, who has lived in Nuremberg for 25 years, believes that 'the daily schedule in Germany is not appropriate to Ramadan and makes fasting more difficult.'

The Iraqi points out that while working days in the Arab world are shortened and adapted in order to accommodate the Ramadan schedule, business hours are unchanged in Germany.

This makes it especially difficult 'when you have to wake up early in the morning to have the suhoor' - the last meal before sunrise, usually consumed around 4 am.

Ahmad Haitham, a 33-year-old Palestinian married to a German woman, misses his family, the traditional Ramadan dishes and the general atmosphere of his homeland.

But perhaps his biggest challenge is having to fast while everyone around him is enjoying their food and drink.

'Ramadan in Berlin is different for me than in my home country. Even though my wife and I fast during the month, the special preparations and meals and customs that take place in other Islamic countries do not happen here,' he said.

Tahra, a 66-year-old grandmother of Pakistani descent, longs for being in a Ramadan environment again, 'where I can hear the call to prayers and see more mosques.'

Germany at the moment has just over 40 mosques. But new ones are regularly built. During Ramadan, they are crowded, especially after dark, when Muslims gather to read the Koran, perform special evening prayers called Taraweeh, and socialise.

But for Tahra, who lives in Dusseldorf, the greatest pleasure comes from receiving 'more visits from my children and grandchildren'.

Families prepare special meals and dishes during the holy month, and consume vast amounts of sweets such as baklava - a sweet pastry sweetened with syrup or honey and filled with chopped nuts.

And at the weekend, Muslims prepare big Iftars, the fast-breaking meal at sunset.

'My family looks forward to the month of Ramadan because it is a time to bring together family and friends, who spend more time together than during normal months in the year,' said Ibrahim, a 44-year-old internet cafe owner of Turkish descent.

Ibrahim admits that he faces a hard time in the early days of fasting, but says it gets easier with time.

However, Ezat Ugan enjoys Ramadan in Berlin because he is able to to meet Muslims from different parts of the world. It also allows him to find out more about international dishes, such as Algerian, Moroccan and even Afghan food.

And Payam Marouf, a 26-year-old Iraqi who lives in Nuremberg, is grateful to be spending this year's Ramadan in Germany, because when it comes to the weather, fasting is much easier than in Iraq, where temperatures easily reach 50 degrees Celsius at this time of year.

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