Ramadan 2022: How Ukrainian Muslims dey fast inside war zone

"Wen you dey hear sounds of sirens all fi time and see pictures of schools, hospitals and houses wey don scata, how you go normal?

"E dey make me sick to see dead bodies and burnt houses. Dis Ramadan dey full of pain," na wetin Niyara Mamutova yok.

Niyara na ethnic Tatar wey run from Crimea for 2014 and anoda Ukrainian Muslim woman from Kyiv, Viktoria Nesterenko gree with am.

Dem tell BBC how dem dey cope with observing Ramadan inside war.

'I dey filled with sadness'

Viktoria say, "many pipo and pikin don die for Russian troops hand near Kyiv. Dis Ramadan, I no geel di ssacred atmosphere, I just dey filled with sadness".

Na very small part of Ukraine about 1% dey follow Islam.

But di kontri Muslim bin dey ginger for dis year Ramadan as dem bin miss two past festivals sake of Covid. Now, war don scata dis plans for dis year.

Viktoria say, "wetin hard pass na to adjust morally and spiritually. I need to read Quaran more and take time to worship. E dey hard to focus n prayers sake of stress and tiredness".

Niyara dey breastfeed her baby girl so she no dey fast but Viktoria dey fast.

Viktoria say, "of course we dey find time pray, as we dey war, we dey combine prayers, day with evening or evening with night. So we go fit at least use am fulfill our religious duty."

'Nowhere dey safe'

For di past eight years, Niyara don dey live for di south-eastern town of Zaporizhzhia.

She dey run NGO wey dey handle different mata like ecological awareness to fighting Muslim stereotypes.

Di war start just three weeks afta she born her fourth pikin, around di time wen di fanily bin wan clean and decorate dia house for Ramadan.

"We bin shock wella. Missiles dey fall on airport, oil storage dey burn. Russian troops dey enta di city. So we decide to comot".

Di family go Chernivtsi in western Ukraine for safety. E don stress her pikin.

"My pikin dem don separate from dia friends, dem lose dia house. We no even safe or here. Russia bomb and missiles dem fit touch any city for Ukraine."

Remembrance

At first dem hide for mosque before dem fit rent dia own place. She dey use old memories of Ramadan to remember wetin she lose.

Niyara say, "di whole family dey fast, pray and break di fast togeda. Now our families don scata sake of di war. Some don comot di kontri, no be happy environment."

Her husband na Imam for one house wey dem turn to mosque and because of di night curfew for Chernivtsi, if di husband delay, e go remain dia for mosque. ut Niyara don manage to make friends.

"We dey meet oda Muslim community pipo to break di fast. We dey help ourselves. We det also beg rich Muslims say make dem help those wey war don pursue from house."

Shortage of halal meat

Every day Miyra dey help make food for displaced pipo wey dey stay for di mosque.

"We dey prepare di kain food wey we bin dey make before but we no get halal meat here, Na only some type of halal chicken," according to Niyara.

She say Muslim aid joinbodi for kontris like Turkey dey give di necessary food and lical Muslims dey donate spoons or pot wey dem go take cook. Viktoria dey use frozen meat and fish to solve di wahala.

"We dey try provide Hala foo. But now Halalmeat no too dey, Muslims wey dey remote places no go fit get frozen Halal food ."

War efforts

Many Muslim men and women dey di Ukrainian army and territorial army battalions. Some don join di new armed groups volunteers.

"My relatives and my friends dey fight di Russians," Viktoria tok.

Na about five percent of di normal worshippers dey visit di main mosque now. E dey pain Viktoria but she understand sha.

She tink plenti Muslims still dey di city but dey too busy wit work for essential services or armed units to pray for mosque.

"I feel I must continue to work and help my ppipo as my bodi fit. Di strength of Ukrainian pipo na unity, na how we go fit defeat our enemy."

Test of faith

Niyara dey hope say her faith go help am with di most difficult time for her life.

"My faith dey very important at dis hard time. E dey give me support, e dey give me answers to questions. You go understand say di war na your test."

But Niyara believe say God go give am strength to pass dis kasala.

"We dey live, pray and wait for peace," na wetin she tok.