UAE PUBLIC WELCOMES CHANCE TO RECHARGE AND REFLECT DURING HOLY MONTH AFTER A YEAR MARKED BY PANDEMIC
▶ Citizens and residents express optimism as Ramadan begins, write Shireena Al Nowais and Haneen Dajani
Muslims across the UAE are ready to observe Ramadan during a pandemic for a second year in a row. But while Covid-19 meant celebrations were muted last year, the start of the holy month this year brings hope of better times to come.
Iftars may be still be held online, gatherings are prohibited and tents banned, but mosques are open and imams are ready to welcome worshippers as they mark Ramadan safely.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments ensured 7,500 mosque staff were vaccinated against Covid-19 and provided 1.5 million stickers to places of worship to remind the faithful to follow physical distancing regulations. The authority also distributed 500,000 bottles of sanitiser to keep people safe.
The global fight against Covid-19 has not yet been won, but safety measures and the success of vaccination programmes has given people hope that it may not be long before the world returns to normal.
The National spoke to UAE residents who are taking time to reflect on the past year of their lives as the holy month begins.
American-Palestinian resident Dalia Sufian, 36, lost a family member and her job as a result of the pandemic, but she remains optimistic about the future.
“Ramadan is generally a good month and a time to get closer to God,” she said.
“We were deeply affected by the death in our family and it will be difficult to spend Ramadan without him, but we did need this time to heal. I do believe that Covid is a wake-up call for all of us to reflect and get closer to God.”
Fadya Omar, an Emirati, said she was still positive about the future even after about 60 members of her family contracted the infection at a wedding in Al Ain.
“Ramadan is very spiritual and I really need to recharge,” she said.
“My entire family of 10 houses, with around six members in each household, got Covid. I thought that I was safe but my husband later got it through work.”
Ms Omar, her husband and her children were the only members of the family who did not attend the party.
“My son had no symptoms but had to quarantine alone in a room for 10 days, which is hard for any child,” she said.
Ms Omar, a healthcare worker, said the past year was challenging because her children were engaged in distance learning.
“I was excited at first but now it is impossible to teach my children online and work. Distance learning was a disaster for me and my children,” she said.
“This year has been really hard with Covid and the workload at the hospital, so I am actually looking forward to Ramadan. It will be peaceful and quiet, which is what we all need right now.”
The mother of a baby born a week before Ramadan last year said the joy of marking a birthday and the start of Ramadan would be tempered because the pandemic disrupted her travel plans.
Shahd Mardini, 28, gave birth on April 7 last year and will miss the iftars and suhoors usually held in Ramadan tents, which are prohibited across the UAE.
“I can’t say I am excited. I love going out and travelling and I have kids who I want to take out,” said Ms Mardini, a Syrian citizen.
“We usually spend Ramadan abroad and now with coronavirus and everything being closed it will be difficult.”
She said the arrival of a new child last year meant she was less affected by restrictions during the holy month.
“It was also the beginning of the pandemic but now we are deep into this and it has been more than a year,” she said.
“Personally, I love family gatherings and all the iftars and suhoor, and taraweeh prayers at the mosque. I am really going to miss that this year. It will be such a huge difference.”
The unsung heroes who keep the country’s streets clean are also working to help keep citizens and residents safe during Ramadan.
The Abu Dhabi Centre for Waste Management (Tadweer) has a team of 5,085 staff that includes supervisors, drivers, sweepers and cleaners.
Tadweer workers are preparing to unload 161,862 waste containers every day throughout Ramadan using 211 hydraulic compactors.
The teams will be sent to residential, commercial and industrial areas. They will work at mosques, government offices, schools, government hospitals and clinics, construction sites for citizen housing projects, roads, pavements and parks.