The sound of prayer reciting, clinking plates and chatter fill the mosques of the Goulburn Valley, as Muslims across the world practice the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, Ramadan.
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Following a lunar calendar, it is a time of sawm (fasting), spiritual connection and community for Muslims as they refrain from consuming anything from sunrise to sunset.
This includes everything from drinking water to smoking a cigarette.
“It actually teaches us to appreciate what we have and what we had, it’s the month where you know how valuable food is, and you don’t waste,” GV Turkish Mosque Imam Recep Ay said.
“Islam’s holy book, the Quran started this time — so it is a month that allows for purification of the soul, practising self discipline, do charity, and where we help people.”
The Turkish Mosque aims to bring Turkey to the Goulburn Valley where they feast in large tents seated on long tables together.
“Everyone’s equal, so if they’re a businessman, if they’re poor, a different religion, different background, different culture, they’ll be all around the same table,” he said.
But there’s also days when people spend their moments of Ramadan at home.
Community member Betul Tuna works two jobs, the Ethnic Council of Shepparton and the Point of Difference Studio, as well as feeding her three hungry teenagers and mother during Ramadan.
“It’s a bit busy, but during Ramadan I think it’s about keeping me grounded, because I get caught up in the world for 11 months and this is the one time where I stop for a bit,” she said.
“It’s the time between me and my creator, and then the second; between family and loved ones and ways of acknowledging what our brothers and sisters are experiencing around the world.’’
Ms Tuna said this year has been the best since pre-COVID to practice Ramadan, with eased restrictions letting her mum visit from Turkey.
So, many of herself and family members visit each others’ houses to spend Ramadan with less fear of catching the virus.
“Even though the restrictions weren’t as bad (last year) and there were things happening, us younger ones were probably more concerned about the older generation and if they are going to be safe,” she said.
“A lot of community members have caught COVID, but are vaccinated now, so we’re not as scared about catching it, but we’re still trying to avoid it.
“We now go between houses, if we haven’t broken fast together, we’re getting ready to fast together with a family, so its been a great experience,” she said.
Before fasting for the day Ms Tuna wakes up for Suhur, which is a pre-dawn meal during Ramadan when Muslims can eat up until 6am.
“The kids and their cousins actually stay up until Suhur then go to sleep afterwards,” she said.
“I sleep, wake up, and go back to sleep and then wake up ... while I’m fasting, I believe in power naps throughout the day,” she said with a laugh.
Ms Tuna always aims for her and her children to connect with their Turkish culture during Ramadan.
“In Turkey you would have all these drummers in the streets walking in Suhur to wake everyone, it’s like the community alarm clock,” she said.
“But what we’d do is reflect on and talk about it a lot, we’d get on to YouTube and watch funny drumming videos from Turkey,” she said.
Ms Tuna’s workplace lets her finish her day earlier to get ready to make iftar (dinner/breaking fast) for the family.
She would often have dates, soup, stew rice, and something sweet.
“It’s physical, mental and spiritual detoxing,” she said.
One day her kids asked if they could have McDonald’s to break fast because they saw their friends eat it.
“Her (daughter’s friend) asked ‘Aunty, our friends just ate McDonald’s in front of us can we break our fast on McDonald’s’, and it was really funny,” she said.
“Some of their friends can go out of their way to not eat next to them, so they acknowledge them.”
Though her children can still experience discrimination while fasting at school.
“Kids are definitely experiencing a bit of bullying or being teased at school with fasting, but that’s been around since I was at school, so it’s not new,” she said.
But Ms Tuna said other Muslims in the world were experiencing harsher treatment — like the Uyghur minority group in China that have Turkish descent.
“You can’t ignore the fact that there’s powerful governments out there that are purposely breaking people’s fast and purposely persecuting them for being Muslim,” Ms Tuna said.
She is continuing to pray for everyone in the world and said the month was an opportunity to practice inclusion for non-Muslims.
“For example, if you’re going to organise a birthday or something during lunchtime, you could ask and say ‘hey we should meet up after work and so that way, if you’ve got friends or colleagues that are fasting, it’s kind of a pleasure for all to attend,” she said.
Imam Ay said this was a month for unity among the community.
“This is the month to think of the poor and elderly — when we’re all fasting, we like to share a meal with with our friends, family, even non-Muslims, we get together, share, whatever we have on that table together,” he said.
The Turkish mosque has had its doors open since the 1980s, and accommodates for Turkish as well as non-Turkish Muslims across the Goulburn Valley.
It is a growing community, which hopes to further build its mosque in the future.
“In the future, we are looking to expand out to that back land, and maybe build something bigger, where there’s a bigger kitchen, so that way we can do it for more people,” Imam Ay said.
This is the first of the series on Youssef Saudie exploring mosques in the Goulburn Valley during Ramadan. You can contact him on youssef.saudie@mmg.com.au