AP PHOTOS: Indian Muslims observe holy month of Ramadan
1
Jul 16, 2015 14:31
ALTAF QADRI, Associated Press
NOIDA, India (AP) — Kneeling under a midday sun on mats laid over an unfinished pavement, Fakhruddin places his hands and head to the ground in prayer.
He joins hundreds of other devoted Indian Muslims in a lot surrounded by towering residential apartments outside of a Muslim shrine that has become a makeshift mosque.
Fakhruddin, 45, who operates a roadside barbershop, is an Indian Muslim and a minority in predominantly Hindu India.
Like many Muslims worldwide, Fakhruddin is currently observing Ramadan — a month of intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts. He answers some questions about his faith and Islam's holiest month:
___
Q: HOW IMPORTANT IS PRAYER TO YOU?
A: It's the core of Islam. It's more important than anything else. I do not say that I pray five times a day and seven days a week but I always try my best to pray wherever I am.
___
Q: DO YOU ALWAYS PRAY HERE?
A: I always pray here whether it's Ramadan or not. Prayers are not mandatory only in Ramadan, but throughout the year. Only the reward is greater if you pray in a mosque in a congregation in Ramadan
___
Q: IF YOU COULD CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT RAMADAN, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
A: I wish the weather was (more) pleasant. It is very trying to fast when temperatures soar as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Farenheit). I work in the open. We pray in the open no matter how hot it gets. Allah never fails its servants.
___
Q: WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO YOU ABOUT BEING A MUSLIM IN INDIA?
A: My identity. There are few visible things that a Muslim is supposed to follow, like sporting a beard, a skullcap. Other things cannot be seen, for example; being helpful, good behavior etc. But unfortunately, we are forced to conceal our visible identity. A bearded man with a skullcap is seen as a threat in India and therefore subjected to humiliation. There was a time when I also had beard but had to shave it off. To be honest I am running my business here in front of the mosque so that I could feel secure.
___
Each day this week the Associated Press will focus on a Muslim devotee living in the minority in the Asia-Pacific region, illustrating what the fasting month of Ramadan means to the Muslim community in that country.
___
Associated Press photographers and photo editors on Twitter: http://apne.ws/15Oo6jo
In this July 6, 2015, photo, Fakhruddin, left, stands at the edge of the compound of the shrine for Syed Abdullah Khan, a pious Muslim, in Noida, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of New Delhi, India. Living in a predominantly Hindu society, Fakhruddin is currently observing Ramadan — the Muslim holy month which involves intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
In this July 6, 2015, photo, Fakhruddin prays after breaking his Ramadan fast at a makeshift mosque, in Noida, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of New Delhi, India. Living in a predominantly Hindu society, Fakhruddin is currently observing Ramadan - the Muslim holy month which involves intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
In this July 2, 2015, photo, Fakhruddin, 45, a roadside barber, attends to a customer while his six-year-old son, Amman, stands at left, as he works next to a compound which has become the local Muslim community's makeshift mosque in Noida, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of New Delhi, India. Living in a predominantly Hindu society, Fakhruddin is currently observing Ramadan - the Muslim holy month which involves intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
In this July 2, 2015, photo, Muslims pray after breaking their Ramadan fast in the compound of the shrine of Syed Abdullah Khan, a pious Muslim, in Noida, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of New Delhi, India. Hundreds of devoted Indian Muslims, who live in the minority in predominantly Hindu India, pray in this lot which has become their community's makeshift mosque, surrounded by towering residential apartments. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
In this July 3, 2015, photo, Muslim worshippers gather for Friday prayers in the compound of the shrine of Syed Abdullah Khan, a pious Muslim, in Noida, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of New Delhi, India. Hundreds of devoted Indian Muslims, who live in the minority in predominantly Hindu India, pray in this lot which has become their community's makeshift mosque, surrounded by towering residential apartments. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
In this July 8, 2015, photo, Fakhruddin, 45, puts on a skullcap after performing the ritual washing before midday prayers at a makeshift mosque in Noida, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of New Delhi, India. Hundreds of devoted Indian Muslims, who live in the minority in predominantly Hindu India, pray in this lot which has become their community's makeshift mosque, surrounded by towering residential apartments. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
In this July 3, 2015, photo, Muslim worshippers offer Friday prayers in at lot at the shrine of Syed Abdullah Khan, a pious Muslim, in Noida, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of New Delhi, India. Hundreds of devoted Indian Muslims, who live in the minority in predominantly Hindu India, pray in this lot which has become their community's makeshift mosque, surrounded by towering residential apartments. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
In this July 8, 2015, photo, Fakhruddin, 45, gives an Indian man a shave at his roadside barbershop setup under a willow tree on the edge of the compound of the shrine of Syed Abdullah Khan, who was a pious Muslim, in Noida, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of New Delhi, India. Hundreds of devoted Indian Muslims, who live in the minority in predominantly Hindu India, pray in this lot which has become their community's makeshift mosque, surrounded by towering residential apartments. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
In this July 6, 2015, photo, Fakhruddin, sits among fellow Muslim devotees as they break the Ramadan fast at a makeshift mosque in Noida, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of New Delhi, India. Despite living in a predominantly Hindu society, Fakhruddin is observing Ramadan - the Muslim holy month which involves intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
In this July 2, 2015, photo, Fakhruddin prays after breaking his Ramadan fast at the shrine of Syed Abdullah Khan, who was a pious Muslim, in Noida, southeast of New Delhi, India. Devoted Indian Muslims, who live in the minority in predominantly Hindu India, pray in this lot which has become their community's makeshift mosque, surrounded by towering residential apartments. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
LOCAL EDITION
