Beijing Diary: Malaysians Welcome Ramadan Like One Big Family

By Amirul Mohd Sajadi BEIJING, May 18 (Bernama) – Studying in a foreign land always proves to be an adventure. So many bittersweet memories in the last 10 months. And observing Ramadan for the first time abroad, away from family and all things often associated with the holy month, like the street bazaars, has truly been an unforgettable experience. There is no place like home as this Ramadan has proven to be. NEARLY 17 HOURS As the seasons change from spring to summer, not only are the days longer, they are slightly hotter as well. Fasting here thus becomes challenging and because there is more daylight, Muslims fast for 17 hours here, three hours more than in Malaysia. Despite the Muslim population of 250,000 in this second largest city in China, the lack of street bazaars is glaring. No street bazaars and no Ramadan buffet promotions at hotels. TERAWIH PRAYERS AT NIUJIE MOSQUE The first day of Ramadan saw the writer pray at the Niujie Mosque. Built in 996, it is the oldest mosque in China. Intricate Chinese artwork with Arabic elements adorn the walls. That aside, who would have guessed that in this 1400-year-old mosque, the writer would run into a group of Malaysian students of Beijing Language and Culture University. After pleasantries exchanged, a date was set for breaking fast do. HAPPY TOGETHER Having broken fast alone for the first five days, the writer was excited to welcome his new friends at his house in Jianguomen, smack right in the centre of the city on the sixth day. The distance between his home and their campus in Haidian is about 19km. If food were to bring people together, delicacies like ‘Nasi Lemak’, ‘Mee Kari’, ‘Ayam Masak Merah’, and Batik cake certainly did it for these Malaysians. Simple dishes they maybe, yet so meaningful during this Ramadan. “I miss my mother’s cooking so much,” said Amirah Zahirah Azharuddin, 22, a fourth-year Mandarin student. “This is my fourth year fasting abroad. Back home in Malaysia, Penang Laksa is my favourite dish,” said the island girl. “This is among the many things I really miss back home but that feeling soon disappears when we are able to cook our favourite dishes and breakfast together like one big family! MISSING THE CALL OF AZAN For Wan Nur Amirah Wan Nafi, 22, another Mandarin language student, the call of ‘azan’ (call to prayer) is what she misses the most. "Back in Malaysia, our house is near the mosque, so we relied on the azan call or TV to break fast. “It is different here as the calls of azan are not allowed on speakers, only within the vicinity of the mosque,” she lamented. -- BERNAMA