3rd June 2020

 

My name is Katkoot. I am an asylum seeker in the UK and I would like to share with you all mine and my family's experience of observing Ramadan and Eid during the crisis. During Ramadan my family was fasting for more than sixteen hours a day. My kids could not go out like they normally would due to the lockdown. No one could visit us, no one could share food with us, no one could touch anyone else. Before the crisis we would do all of those things.

 

During Ramadan we made a hand print picture for the Advocacy Group meetings. It made my children very happy to do this so we decided to do another picture to celebrate Eid. We coloured in pieces of paper and cut out letters to write ‘Happy Eid Mubarak’.

The piece I created with my children for the Advocacy Group 

The decorations we made together to celebrate Eid

My kids were so happy. We prepared cookies called Ghoriba which they wanted to share with other people like they normally would. They were excited for people to see the art they had created and taste their cookies but of course due to lockdown no one came. They felt disappointed and they kept asking ‘mum, why is no one visiting us?’. 

The Ghoriba my children and I baked together 

Every other year on Eid we would say prayers in the mosque but we couldn’t go anywhere this year. We couldn’t greet people face to face. I missed my family and my friends. We could only use social media to contact other people. Without sharing our cookies and cups of tea we felt sad, but when I remember that my family and I are all healthy and that we are following the lockdown rules to keep ourselves and other people safe I feel happy.

Thanks to Allah for everything you give to us.

#CovidStories