Muslims in New Zealand observing Ramadan

Nahtha Al Raheem's kitchen is the busiest room in the house during Ramadan. The Iraqi refugee from Basra, her husband Jassim El Abadey and their five children observe the month-long fasting during daylight hours but after dark they sit down to lavish meals not usually cooked at any other time of year.

"Everyone wants to eat the best food and this is a really busy time for me," says Mrs Al Raheem.

"I seem to do more food shopping. I don't get hungry, but I do get a bit thirsty because I am cooking most of the day."

Ramadan commemorates the handing down of the contents of the holy book, the Koran, to the Prophet Mohammed about 1400 years ago.

It is the ninth and holiest month on the Islamic calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon.

Muslims scan the sky at night after the end of their lunar calendar's eighth month in search of the new moon to proclaim the start of Ramadan.

Observance this year started this week across much of the Middle East, following the announcement by religious officials that the new crescent moon had been sighted on Monday night.

For Shi'ite Muslims the month also contains a time of mourning the death of Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet, who was stabbed in the head with a poisoned dagger while he was praying.

Muslims are obliged to abstain from drink, food, smoking and sex from dawn to sunset - about 13 hours in New Zealand.

There are exceptions to fasting. Children under the age of 10, menstruating, pregnant and breastfeeding women, elderly people, the ill and travellers are exempt, although travellers and menstruating women are expected to continue fasting when they are able. In African and Asian countries where malnutrition is a common problem, especially among women from low-income groups, fasting is flexible and may also be avoided.

Ramadan is also a period of religious introspection, with an emphasis on prayers five times a day and on reading the Koran.

Iranian Shahin Soltanian says Muslims are expected to be conscientious about morally good acts.

"People tend to make more effort during Ramadan to stay away from vices. It is a purifying process, a period of self-restraint and reflection."

The 27-year-old student, past-president of the Auckland University Islamic Society and now competing his PhD in philosophy, says he enjoys the process and does not see it as a hardship.

Children are introduced to fasting gradually. They may do only a few hours at a time each day.

Mr Soltanian says people do get tired towards evening, but their faith sustains them.

In the Middle East, office and shop hours are shortened during the day to cater for flagging energy levels, and shops will open during the evening instead.

In Mrs Al Raheem's home in Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt, the family will gather in the living room as the time for the evening meal approaches.

Typically they will sit cross-legged on the floor around a vast array of tempting dishes that Mrs Al Raheem has spent most of the day preparing.

The younger members of the family watch the clock count down to the appointed minute where it is considered to be dark.

After a brief prayer by Mr El Abadey, the fast is traditionally broken with a handful of dates and a drink of water, consumed slowly. Dates are considered to aid digestion.

Then dinner begins in earnest with soup, fish baked with spices or chicken cooked with cumin, braised lamb, platters of fragrant rice, vegetables cooked in tomato sauces, salads dressed with lemon and olive oil, and dips and piles of warm flatbread Mrs Al Raheem makes daily.

Muslims may eat only halal meat and by-products, such as fat and gelatine, which have been prepared according to Islamic rites - with the animals facing Mecca before they are stunned and their throats cut.

Fresh fruit is the usual finish to the meal.

Relatives and friends are often invited to share dinner.

"In Iraq everyone likes to go visiting during this time," says Mrs Al Raheem.

In other Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, cafes and special Ramadan tents stay packed until dawn.

Breakfast, eaten sometime before 5.30am, is also more substantial than usual. Iraqis, Jordanians and Syrians will eat kebabs, cheese, eggs, salads and bread, and drink copious cups of tea.

Mr Soltanian is married to an Indian, and says that as his wife cooks, the evening meal would be more heavily spiced than Iranian cuisine which uses more herbs and few spices.

Iranians prefer chicken or lamb, often cooked with barberries, with a variety of rice dishes and vegetables and salads. Breakfast would be much lighter. He will just have cereal and tea. Iranians at home would include feta cheese and bread in their early morning meal before the fast begins again.

Beginning on the last day of Ramadan is Eid ul-Fitr, a three-day celebration where all Muslims are expected to make a charitable donation to the poor. In countries decimated by war such as Iraq and Afghanistan, aid agencies commonly hand out extra food parcels and clothes for children.

Mrs Al Raheem says during Eid she will buy her children new clothes and she will cook special date and nut pastries, and cakes. As a refugee, she remembers years when such treats were not possible.

"Now it's a special time again for everyone. This is like Christmas for us."

Ramadan

* Is the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar.

* Requires Muslims to abstain from food drink and other physical needs during daylight hours, and to refrain from evil thoughts or actions.

* Begins after the new - or crescent - moon is sighted to mark the start of the month.

* Began on October 4 this year and runs until November 2.

- NZPA