Ramadan in Gaza: Ruins and unshakable faith
Ramadan has come to devastated Gaza. While the rest of the world embarks with a festive mood on a month of fasting and prayer, we do so with grief and sorrow.
The echoes of war still ring loud. There is no certainty that this ceasefire will last. People are anxious about what happens next. They fear the war may come back.
The memory and trauma of what we have witnessed and experienced over the past year hang heavy in our minds.
Last year was not the first time for us to observe Ramadan during a war. In 2014, I was only nine years old, but I remember very well how our Ramadan nights were filled with air strikes and destruction and how we had to rush out of our home in the dark, fleeing the bombing in our neighbourhood.
But Ramadan last year was different. It was unimaginably worse. Hunger was everywhere. We fasted the entire day, only to break our fast with a can of hummus or beans shared between six people. With no electricity, we would chew the tasteless canned food in the dark. We would barely see each other’s faces across the table.
We were away from most of our extended family. My grandmother, aunts and cousins who I used to spend Ramadan with were all scattered in different places, some displaced in tents and others stuck in the north. The month of togetherness became a month of separation and isolation.
Ramadan was stripped of its joyous spirit. We longed to hear the adhan (call to prayer) at Maghrib before breaking our fast or at Fajr before starting it. But those sounds never came. Every mosque was destroyed. There were people who wanted to do the adhan, but they were afraid – afraid that the sound of their voices would bring air strikes, that it would make them targets.
Instead of breaking our fast to the familiar sound of the muezzin on the loudspeakers of the nearby mosque, we broke it to the terrifying echoes of missiles and gunfire.
Before the war, I used to go with my family to the mosque after iftar to pray and see our loved ones. Afterwards, we would stroll through the streets of Gaza, enjoying the lively Ramadan atmosphere before heading home to have freshly made qatayef.
But last year, there was nowhere we could go to pray tarawih amid the genocide.
Even the Great Omari Mosque – one of Gaza’s most beautiful and historic mosques, where my father and brothers used to spend the final 10 nights of Ramadan, listening to the Quran recited in the most beautiful voices – was gone, bombed into ruins, shattered beyond recognition. The place that once echoed with prayers and peace was turned into dust and rubble.
This year’s Ramadan begins during a ceasefire. There are no air strikes shaking the earth as we break our fast. No explosions reverberating in the silence of Fajr. No fear of decorating our homes, of hanging colourful lights that might make us a target.
Amid the pain and devastation, life – which had been on pause for so long – is trying to come back to Gaza’s streets.
Shops and markets that have not been destroyed have reopened, and street vendors have come back.
Even the big supermarket in Nuseirat, Hyper Mall, has opened its doors once again. Before Ramadan, my father took me and my sister there. We could barely contain our excitement as we stepped into the brightly lit mall. For a moment, it felt like we had gone back in time. The shelves were stocked again, filled with everything we had longed for – different types of chocolates, biscuits and chips. There were Ramadan decorations, lanterns of all shapes and sizes, boxes of dates, colourful dried fruits and Qamar al-Din.
But this abundance is deceptive. Much of what fills the shelves comes on commercial trucks, which make up a large portion of the trucks allowed into Gaza at the expense of humanitarian aid. At the same time, these products have become unaffordable to most people who have lost their livelihoods and homes.
So what will most families break their fast with this year? It will be a bit more than canned beans: A simple meal of rice, molokhia or whatever vegetables they can afford.
For the first iftar, my family will have musakhan, a Palestinian dish that is made from chicken, saj bread and lots of onion. We know we are among the lucky ones. The vast majority of people in Gaza cannot afford the fresh chicken that has reappeared in markets at double the pre-war price.
But a rich, traditional iftar is not the only thing that will be missing from Ramadan tables in Gaza.
More than 48,000 people have been killed during the war. Entire families have been wiped from the civil registry and will not observe Ramadan this year. At so many iftar tables, there will be an empty seat: a father whose voice calling his children to the table will never be heard again, a son whose impatience to break his fast will never be seen again or a mother whose skilled hands will never prepare delicious food again.
I too have lost people I love. My aunt’s husband who used to invite us for iftar each year was brutally killed. My friends Shaima, Lina and Roaa who I used to meet at the mosque after the tarawih prayer were all martyred.
The festive spirit is gone, but the core of Ramadan is here. This month is a chance to step away from distractions and concerns of ordinary life and reconnect with our faith. It is a time of forgiveness. It is a time to seek closeness to God and spiritual resilience.
Our mosques may have been destroyed, but our faith has not been broken. We will still be doing tarawih in half-destroyed homes and tents, whispering all our wishes in dua’a and seeking comfort in reciting the Quran, knowing that Allah will reward us for all the suffering we have endured.
Source: Apps Support
Qatar Chamber Chairman Advocates for Boosting Investment in Halal Industry
Mecca, March 01 (QNA) – Qatar Chamber participated in Makkah Halal Forum 2025, organized by Makkah Chamber of Commerce under the theme “Sustainable Development through Halal.
“Qatar Chamber delegation at the forum was led by HE Chairman of the Board of Directors, Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, accompanied by board members: Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Amadi, Abdulrahman bin Abduljaleel Al Abdul Ghani, and Dr. Mohamed bin Jawhar Al-Mohamed.
During the forum, the delegation toured the accompanying exhibition, which featured hundreds of companies showcasing a wide range of products related to the halal industry and its associated sectors.
In press statements on the sidelines of the forum, His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani emphasized that the halal sector is a key pillar of sustainable economic growth and presents a promising opportunity to enhance global trade and investment.
He reaffirmed the Chamber’s commitment to participating in the forum, highlighting its role in representing the Qatari private sector, advancing the halal industry in Qatar, and keeping pace with global trends in this vital sector.
He also underscored the Chamber’s interest in developing the halal industry, encouraging businessmen and investors to explore opportunities across its various sectors.
He asserted its commitment to supporting Qatari companies and enhancing their international partnerships, contributing to economic diversification and the realization of Qatar National Vision 2030.
The halal sector encompasses a broad range of products and services, including food and beverages, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, Islamic finance, and halal tourism further reinforcing the need to develop this industry to ensure its sustainability and expansion.
On the sidelines of the forum, the Chamber delegation took part in a series of key meetings.
Led by HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim, the delegation met with a delegation of the Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry led by HE First Deputy Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan Kurbanov Davronbek.
The meeting discussed the expansion of trade and economic cooperation, attracting investments, developing business cooperation, and organizing mutual delegation visits.
It also discussed avenues for cooperation between the two chambers and explored investment opportunities across various sectors in both countries.
Speaking at the meeting, HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim praised the close relations between Qatar and Uzbekistan, noting that the volume of trade exchange remains below expectations.
He encouraged the Uzbekistan Chamber to organize a business delegation visit to Qatar to engage with their Qatari counterparts and explore areas of mutual cooperation.
For his part, HE Kurbanov Davronbek highlighted Uzbekistan’s production of high-quality halal food products and expressed his eagerness to strengthen collaboration with Qatar Chamber, fostering closer ties between the business sectors of both nations.
He also emphasized the importance of activating the Qatar-Uzbekistan Joint Business Council to further enhance business cooperation.
In turn, Dr. Mohamed bin Johar Al Mohamed provided an overview of the Islamic Chamber’s recent activities and its role in promoting cooperation among member countries.
He expressed gratitude to the Uzbekistan Chamber for its commitment to strengthening ties with Qatar.
He further pointed out that Islamic countries possess the necessary resources and potential to become a leading global economic force, underscoring the need for greater coordination and cooperation among them.
The forum aimed to enhance cooperation among participating countries in the halal industry by bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, regulators, and international experts to explore the latest trends in this rapidly growing sector and highlight emerging trade and investment opportunities.
It explored the adoption of modern technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence to enhance transparency and efficiency in halal product certification processes.
The three-day forum featured specialized discussions on halal standards, innovation, and the future of Islamic finance, as well as various workshops to help companies and entrepreneurs meet global halal requirements.
It also hosted an international exhibition with over 150 participants from 15 countries, fostering trade cooperation and expanding international partnerships. (QNA)
Source: Makkah Chamber