One of these days begins the month of fasting for all Muslims in the world. In Sweden, the new moon will probably be visible tomorrow.
– It is fantastic, we are all waiting now, says Rokeya Begum.
Rokeya Begum has lived in Tensta for a long time and is a familiar face in association life. Today she works for the organization Mamma United in Hjulsta and now she and her whole family are preparing for Lent.
– Ramadan means that you should think of everyone who is having a hard time and feel how it feels to be without food. You should donate as much as you can to the poor. I have sent money to my old homeland, Bangladesh, I have an association there.
My husband does the frying and we Bengalis fry a lot
Ramadan, abstaining from food and drink, is obligatory for Muslims, Rokeya emphasizes, (does not apply to everyone and always). But a large part of Lent is about food, about cooking.
– I cook most of the days. The whole family helps, my husband too. He does the deep frying and we Bengalis deep fry a lot.
It must be an art to cook a lot of food, while fasting?
– Yes, but if I cook for a lot of people, then I get to taste, but not swallow.
This year the sun rises at 03.58 on the first day and sets already at 17.47, which pleases many. Some years there are tougher times.
– Yes, my husband is happy that this year he can eat a lot, laughs Rokeya.
The fast is usually broken together with others. Both Rokeya and her husband have large relatives in Sweden.
– Sometimes we get together in large numbers, but most of the time we are at home. It is my husband and our two children and our daughter-in-law. The daughter-in-law is from Turkey, so her family is my family now and we celebrate together.
We must not drink a single drop of water from sunrise to sunset
Everyone in the family fasts and says their prayers, but Rokeya does not go to the mosque very often.
– If I’m in Kista, I go in there and pray. But I like to pray at home with my daughter and daughter-in-law. My daughter is a volunteer at tarawih, the evening prayer, in Tensta meeting. So many people gather there.
Now there are 29 days of fasting, or 30, it all depends on the moon. Rokeya rejoices.
– We must not drink a single drop of water from sunrise to sunset. But we get extra energy, I don’t know how. We believe in Allah and He gives us strength.
Kerstin Gustafsson Figueroa
