Skip to content

Ramadan a time to 'super-fast charge yourself'

News imageBBC Imraan Moolla smiling at the camera. He is wearing glasses and has a black and orange coat on.BBC
Imraan Moolla says Ramadan, in which Muslims fast during daylight hours, teaches patience

Ramadan is a time to "super-fast charge yourself spiritually and mentally" for the year ahead, a Muslim representative has said.

Muslims across the Channel Islands are observing the holy month by not eating or drinking during daylight hours.

The period of fasting is broken by a meal after sunset, called Iftar, which Jersey Islamic Centre trustee Dr Sarfaraz Jamali said provided a "sense of belonging" for many.

Imraan Moolla, from the Guernsey Muslim Initiative (GMI), said: "Ramadan comes around once a year, and in that month you super-fast charge yourself spiritually and mentally - hopefully it will last you to the next Ramadan."

News imageSarfaraz is wearing a winter coat stands in the foreground of a large indoor hall. Behind them, many people are seated at tables, engaged in conversation or eating, with the upper level of the hall visible in the background.
"Every year the community is growing," says Dr Sarfaraz Jamali

Jamali said he had seen the Muslim community in Jersey grow significantly since he helped found the Islamic Centre.

"We are running into shortage of a space how to squeeze it into," he said.

"Every year the community is growing.

"It is just that sense of belonging and we are part of the community, plus you have those who are helping and I take my hat off to them."

The Islamic Centre estimates between 65 to 70 people come together each evening for Iftar.

News imageA group of people gather around a buffet-style food table, holding plates of rice and other dishes. Several individuals are serving themselves while others wait nearby in a crowded indoor setting.
Muslims break the fast with a meal after sunset called Iftar

Moolla, from the Guernsey Muslim Initiative (GMI), said Ramadan was a personal journey to spiritually reset and refocus values.

He said the island's Muslim community was "quite small and spread out" which was why there were planned events, organised by both the GMI and the Guernsey Islamic Charitable Trust (GICT), for the community at the mosque as well as outside.

"Many people live far from their families in their home countries, so Ramadan can feel far away from family," he said.

"These community initiatives help bring people together."

He likened the holy ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar to "fast charging yourself".

"It teaches patience as well," he said.

"People may be tired or a bit hangry, but the whole point is to just stay calm and keep yourself in check."

Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.

More on this story