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Uppsala grand mosque in Sweden
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By
Yahia Abu Zakariya, IOL Correspondent
OSTOCKHOLM,
November 8 (IslamOnline.net) - The holy fasting month of Ramadan in
Sweden gives Muslims a good chance to stick closer to their Islamic
identity, with mosques teeming with worshippers and shops selling
famous Arab food.
Encouraged
by a country that respects freedom of religion, Muslim families are
trying their best to instill the Islamic values and Ramadanian
traditions into their young generations.
State
schools, in turn, respect the desire of Muslim students to observe the
dawn-to-dusk fasting, excepting them from having the obligatory lunch
meal.
After
having their Iftaar, Muslim children glue themselves to the TV and
keep flicking Arab satellite channels, searching for religious
programs.
Among
a plethora of serials, the Syrian-produced Al-Shatat (Diaspora) has
succeeded in grabbing the attention of hundreds of children, which
helps keep the Palestinian cause alive in the memories of those young
generations.
The
26 miniseries traces
back Zionism at all political, economic
and religious levels, and unmasking ways used by the Jews to create
their "fictitious" entity in Palestinian territories.
After
performing the Tarawih prayers, the faithful go out to the ubiquitous
Arab shops and restaurants selling delicious Arab food and pastry such
as Moulikhiya (green soup) and Konafa (a golden crisp delicacy said to
be of Fatimid origin).
A
big problem facing the Muslim community in Sweden is moon sighting.
Cloudy skies and cold weather make it tough for Muslims here to sight
the new moon.
Therefore,
Islamic societies in Sweden declare the beginning of Ramadan following
the astronomical calculations of some Muslim countries, such as Saudi
Arabia, Egypt and Iran.
Islam
has become the second official religion in Sweden, after Christianity.
This is in spite of the fact that the Swedish Muslim community is a
relatively new one, unlike that of other European countries such as,
France.
