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Episode details

Radio 4,27 Apr 2020,28 mins

A Very Different Ramadan

Available for over a year

Amid the global crisis of the Coronavirus, members of the Muslim community have begun fasting for the holy month of Ramadan but this Ramadan will be like no other. The mosques are closed, families told to stay away from one another and Imams have had to turn to giving their sermons via live streams online. Raees Khan speaks to members of the Muslim community to hear how they plan to carry out Ramadan in a completely different environment. He hears from one man who says, "social distancing isn't in a Muslims DNA" but another disagrees and says this Ramadan will give Muslims the chance to embrace the festival's true meaning. Raees also learns about the Islamic practice of Itikaf observed by some during the Muslim holy month, which quite literally means self isolation. Producer: Rajeev Gupta

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