Ramadan in Bonn “Many will miss the sense of community this year”

Bonn · Just like Christian churches, mosques are also closed at present. This means that Ramadan will be different this year. Muslim communities affirm their commitment to comply with restrictions.

 During Ramadan the city will be checking compliance with corona restrictions.

During Ramadan the city will be checking compliance with corona restrictions.

Foto: Benjamin Westhoff

The corona pandemic continues to paralyse religious life in Bonn. While only a few days ago the Christian denominations had to cancel Easter services, devotions to the Way of the Cross as well as First Communion celebrations, now the approximately 36,000 Muslims in the city (mostly from Turkey, Bosnia and the Arab countries) are also subject to strict constraints for the month of Ramadan which began a few days ago. This affects not only the common prayer in the mosque, but also the traditional and popular breaking of the fast with family and friends at sunset.

“For mosques - as for all religious institutions - the ban on religious gatherings issued by the state of NRW still applies,” explains integration commissioner Coletta Manemann. Although the state government announced last week that it is holding discussions with churches and religious communities to “jointly develop a perspective for the continuation of religious life in NRW,” there has not yet been any easing of the ban. “With a view to the month of Ramadan, opening up at this point in time would also be the wrong signal,” says Manemann.

“This is an extraordinary situation for us,” says Sanaa Elaidi, chairwoman of the Muslim association ‘House of Generations’ in Bad Godesberg. And since the muezzin cannot call to prayer, a member of the association does so via the internet. “He informs us of the exact time every day,” says Elaidi.

Sadly, however, it is not possible to meet in large groups as usual to enjoy a meal together. But, as the chairwoman of the association emphasizes, the circumstances provide a chance for greater spirituality and contemplation in the closer family circle than in larger groups. Despite everything, she does not allow her optimism to be taken away. “Perhaps there will be some relaxation before Eid,” she hopes. Ramadan ends on 23 May. According to Rahim Öztürker, the chairman of the Bonn Integration Council, many people have come to terms with the restrictions. “There is a great acceptance among Muslims in Bonn to comply with the regulations,” he says. Of course, it is sad that the communal breaking of the fast and possibly the concluding Eid will have to be abandoned. But he adds: “They all know that these measures are important and sensible and for their own protection.”

The Islamic University Association in Bonn is also currently breaking new ground. “Many will miss the sense of community this year,” the association's chairman suspects. The community consists mainly of students who live here without their families. “And we are already worried about them,” he adds. In order to convey something of a community, daily lectures will be streamed through social media in the coming weeks.

The public order services will be checking that the legal requirements are being met during Ramadan, explains Marc Hoffman from the Bonn city press office. The representatives of the Christian denominations are well aware of the difficulty in going without customary rituals during important religious events. “We empathise about how difficult it must be to forego the common prayer and the Iftar meals in large groups," write the representatives of the major Christian churches in Bonn and the region in a joint Ramadan greeting to the Muslim communities. At the same time, they provide words of encouragement: “We experience the separate yet common act of prayer as a strong and strengthening prayer to God; may God also give you this strong and strengthening experience.”

(Original text: Gabriele Immenkeppel, Translation: Caroline Kusch)

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