Friends fill the place of family as Emiratis celebrate Ramadan in the UK

Longer fasting hours can make the holy month seem extra tough away from home

Ms Alhmoudi (left) is experiencing her second Ramadan in the UK. Courtesy Mashaael Alhmoudi

Two Emirati nationals living in the UK have described how tough fasting during Ramadan can prove while living abroad.

Mashaael Alhmoudi, 19, and Alya Al Maazmi, 21, said the emotional strain of being away from family made the holy month difficult.

A difference in daylight hours between Britain and the UAE also meant fasting for an average of three hours longer each day than they would do at home.

And seeing the majority of those around them continue to eat and drink as normal made the act of siyam - fasting - appear "triple the effort".

“My end of year examinations have clashed with Ramadan making it slightly more difficult to study as I do not have the energy I usually do,” said Ms Alhmoudi, a medical sciences student at the University of Leeds.

“My sleeping pattern is all over the place this month, although the university is providing a helping hand for individuals that are observing this holy month.”

Britain has a population of more than 3.3 million Muslims, thousands of whom are expats working or studying in the country.

Islam is the second largest religion in the UK, with England boasting the largest number of worshippers, followed by Scotland and Wales.

In London, Muslims number more than one million, with the East London Mosque and London Central Mosque attracting thousands of worshippers every day.

Expatriates who can, often return home to their loved-ones to celebrate Ramadan, but others have to make adjustments to how their accustomed to spending the month.

Ms Al Maazmi, a psychology student at City University in London, said she had lived in the UK for three years.

She revealed she was finding the extra fasting time a challenge, especially given it was coming on top of her internship at the UAE embassy in London.

“I’m not used to this physically or mentally,” she said. “When your entire house back home is fasting, it is easier to cope regardless of the hours. Here, it feels like triple the effort.”

For Ms Al Maazmi, the main difference between celebrating the holy month at home and in the UK was the atmosphere.

She also reminisced about volunteering in the UAE to help those less fortunate, as well as dressing up and “hearing the beautiful voice of my mother reciting the Holy Quran and kissing her on the head for being a great role model”.

She said this year, she and her friends had worked hard to make Ramadan a time of celebration in the UK, but that she still found it emotionally testing.

In the UAE, “you can literally feel Ramadan in the air,” she said, whereas in the UK, normal life goes on for the majority of the population.

“Going out where everyone around you is eating, without a hint of Ramadan spirit, can be quite difficult,” she said.

“Even though we try our best to dress up in our Ramadan attire and have home cooked traditional dishes, there will always be that essence missing. Sometimes as though no words can describe.”

Luckily, the UAE embassy in the capital has been on hand to help.

“The UAE embassy and Cultural Attaché have done a great job at trying to make students and every UAE national in the UK feel at home and ease spending the holy month away from the UAE,” she said.

“They have iftar gatherings and are always there to be reached in case you need a hand with anything, even if it’s a chat to feel better.”

Ms Alhmoudi said she was spending her second Ramadan in the northern British city, without her three sisters and parents who live in Fujairah.

She described Arab supermarkets in Leeds thronging with customers and told how she connected with her faith in a different way.

“Celebrating Ramadan in a different country and relying on myself to focus on my education as well as my health has made me appreciate the whole meaning of Ramadan,” she said.

“Leaving my family and celebrating abroad does not necessarily mean that I am alone.

“Fortunately I have made a variety of friends from all over the world who have a consistent amount of knowledge on what Ramadan is and support me during this month.”

Ms Al Maazmi agreed. “My friends have been very kind to try to recreate the cosy feeling of being with your family,” she said. “Friends are the family you choose.”