The day starts early for Mahmood and his wife Aisha. Around 4 am Aisha starts to prepare their breakfast. Like all their Rohingya neighbours the family sits together to share the morning meal before dawn. After this they are not allowed to eat or drink until sunset. For Mahmood it is especially hard to refrain all day from smoking and chewing his much-loved betel nut. Nevertheless, Mahmood and Aisha don’t complain. Since their youth they have practiced the month-long Ramadan fast. They rather enjoy this special time of the year. At sunset the family waits together for the call to prayer from the mosque. Then they share the nutritious “iftar” meal: fried chickpea balls, a salad with beans and onions, a semolina soup, sweets and fruits – but most important is juice and water, the first liquid after more than 14 hours in the heat of the day! Aisha worked all day to prepare the meal. Though this special food is about 50{33ce571793abc93b54aa3651b036abd96fb09389e330aa98c31e98f977e65813} more expensive than what they normally eat, they are making this exceptional effort. After the meal, Mahmood joins the other men and boys in the mosque. Aisha and the women are not allowed there, so they pray at home. After the prayer, they read a portion of the Quran – in Arabic. They recite the words but don’t understand the meaning! Ramadan is all about finding favour with God through good deeds. Besides the fasting itself, reading through the entire Quran during the 30 days of Ramadan is considered the most commendable good deed. Later, Mahmood and Aisha will have their dinner with rice and curry before they go to bed for another short night…
Every day during Ramadan is similar to this for the 2 million Rohingya. Even the people in the refugee camps try hard to fast as many days as possible. They strive to get closer to God, receive blessings for themselves and even for their deceased relatives. However, God is still inaccessible and distant. Most Rohingya have never heard the good news that through Jesus they can become children of God. So please pray:
- that God would reveal Himself to those Rohingya who earnestly long to know Him personally, through dreams, visions or other means
- that during these weeks of spiritual searching Rohingya people would find the truth in Jesus
- that believers will use this time to pray for and witness to their Rohingya neighbours and show practical kindness to them