If you are fasting this Ramadan in Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates or another Muslim country, go ahead and embrace this holy month with an extra ounce of celebration, happiness, and appreciation for the blessings you have. Take a longer moment to thank and praise your Lord.
Fasting is facilitated for the Muslims in these countries in more ways than one. During Ramadan the working hours for Muslims in Saudi Arabia are reduced to a maximum of six hours a day. Working hours are changed in both the private and government sector; the working day starts later on in the morning than it otherwise does.
The National newspaper in UAE reported, “Workers in the private sector will have two hours cut from their days during Ramadan, it was announced on Monday. Employees in all enterprises, institutions, and private-sector companies will work the reduced hours without any impact on wages.”
Not only are the working days shorter, but the fasting day is shorter here in the Middle East than it is in most other parts of the world.
If you look to the Muslims fasting in Iceland or in Alaska, I can guarantee that you will never complain again of hunger, thirst, or fatigue from fasting in the month of Ramadan. In fact, you may find in yourself a renewed sense of energy when you compare your fast to that of our Muslim brothers and sisters in Northern Europe.
The fast is to be observed from sunrise to sunset; Muslims in the Jeddah and Makkah region are fasting from around 4:14 in the morning until just after 7:00 in the evening. Compare that to Kiruna, a Swedish city above the Arctic Circle, where the sun goes up at around a quarter to two in the morning, and does not go down until after 11:30 pm.
Muslims in Iceland have the longest Ramadan fast than any other Muslim anywhere else in the world. At this time of the year, there are almost 22 hours between official sunrise and sunset in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Muslim Icelander, Johannes Ari, said, “Here in Iceland we start fasting at 2:00 at night and we break our fast at midnight. That is a very long gap. For us Icelanders, it is very difficult because the sun in summer does not really set; it just goes down for three hours and then it is up again.” Ahmad Seddeeq, the Imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of Iceland, said that although fasting can be a struggle for Muslims in Iceland, the atmosphere of their Muslim community in Ramadan is amazing.
“Since the nights are so short, we all get together at the masjid to break the fast, and pray Maghreb prayer. There is no time for people to eat at home and then come to the masjid for Taraweeh prayers. We eat our meal together and we pray Isha and Taraweeh prayers.
After eating the suhoor meal together in the masjid, everyone goes home to rest,” said Seddeeq.
The community iftar meal consists of water, dates, tea, and the delicious, Moroccan harira soup. Families also eat bread, chicken, and rice, or sometimes fries and a burger.
“It is strange to fast because I am working in a place where I look at people around me eating. I just go into a mental zone, and I think of why I am fasting. Fasting is about feeling like the people who cannot buy food are feeling. You cannot go to the sink and get water. It is good to stop and reflect,” said Iris Bjork, a Muslim nurse, from Iceland.
Agnes Osk is a Muslim from Iceland and she speaks of Ramadan, “Sometimes because of the long hours, you become tired so you sleep. It's not easy to fast for 22 hours.”
