Ramadan in Lockdown
Broadcaster
Things Unseen
TX Date
24th Apr 2020
Presentor
Remona Aly
Producer
Saba Zaman
The sacred Islamic month of fasting, spiritual devotion and charity looks very different this year. For the very first time, many of the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims are spending a month normally marked by communal activities in lockdown because of Covid-19.
In this special edition of Things Unseen, journalist Remona Aly is joined by Islam scholar Abdal Hakim Murad, also known as Dr Tim Winter, from the University of Cambridge. He reflects on how to make the most of Ramadan during the coronavirus pandemic and how to address the challenges of having to abandon traditional community rituals and customs.
Could this lockdown be an opportunity for Muslims to engage with one another and their faith more deeply? And with so many Muslim doctors and nurses on the NHS front line in the fight against coronavirus, could the pandemic even mark a new chapter in how British Muslims are seen in society more widely?