Like Christians Easter and Jews Passover, Muslims can celebrate the month of Lent Ramadan only with restrictions. What are the problems? t-online.de spoke to mosque co-founder Seyran Ates.
The Corona pandemic will present many Muslims with a special challenge next week. The month of Lent begins Ramadan, in which believers are called to eat and drink less, among other things, and then together in the evening Fast to break. But how is the latter compatible with the applicable contact restrictions? The lawyer, co-founder of the liberal Ibn Rushd Goethe Mosque in Berlin and former member of the German Islam Conference, Seyran Ates, answered t-online.de.
t-online.de: The upcoming fasting month 2020 has a very special sign. How do you see Ramadan this time?
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Seyran Ates: There are two levels: the health and the spiritual. When you fast, you are initially weakened because you consume less water and less food. In healthy people who have a strong immune system, I see no problem if they do this at home and if they break the fast together in the family.
But with other groups?
We are talking about a disease that particularly affects people with a weak immune system. Therefore children, the elderly and pregnant women should under no circumstances fast. However, you are exempt from the obligation anyway. However, I also want to appeal to adults to skip fasting this year.
Do you think this appeal will be heard?
Yes, I’m even sure that many Muslims will do the same. Most of them in Germany do not fast at all. For very different reasons, for example because it does not go well with their work or school. Only in recent years has the public received the impression that many more Muslims are fasting, which is not the reality.
Seyran Ates: The lawyer and women’s rights activist initiated the establishment of the liberal Ibn Rushd Goethe Mosque in Berlin. (Source: epd / imago images)
Back to the beginning again: You mentioned the spiritual level. What does it mean emotionally when such an important religious festival is under such restrictions?
Those who cannot fast should do other things for their religiosity and spirituality. Because fasting does not only mean not eating or drinking. Above all, Ramadan means that you slow down and that you do fewer things overall. That one listens to oneself, becomes more sensitive to other people and to nature. The month serves the Muslims also to put an end to arguments, to shake hands again.
The Islamic scholar Abdel-Hakim Ourghi has proposed postponing Ramadan. A good approach?
I guess so. There is a rule that any Muslim can choose to postpone fasting if he cannot do it for certain reasons. I think that if people cannot reconcile their fasting with their consciences, they can do it later, if the situation worldwide allows it again.
How can the fasting break every night take place under the applicable distance rules?
Under no circumstances should there be large accumulations with the relatives. In the family that shares an apartment, of course, that’s not a problem. The reality in Germany is anyway that most Muslims have broken the fast in their own family. So nothing will change for them.
There were fears that there could be larger crowds. Can you understand the concern?
Yes, that’s understandable. Because there has been disproportionate hype around Ramadan in recent years. Organizations celebrated it as a major event. German politicians also took this up. Of course, you can’t allow that at the moment.
But I don’t think anyone will do that either. No community will face the risk of getting into the newspaper with it. Therefore no hysteria is appropriate at this point. Rather, I see the situation as an opportunity for Muslims: that you come together as a family and break the fast as a family.
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