Manitoba's Muslim community marking Ramadan

Muslims in Manitoba and around the world are now observing for Ramadan amidst ongoing tension the Middle East

During the annual tradition which began Sunday with the sighting of the new moon, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, engage in prayer, giver charity and feast at night.

“The objective is so that you feel about other people who are poor, who are less fortunate, who may deserve your help, at some point in time,” said Hakim Ghulam with the Manitoba Islamic Association.

Ghulam adds Ramadan is also a time of focus and devotion to personal faith.

“It's a month of generosity, and it's a month of patience, you know, you show when you're hungry and thirsty, you may get angry or agitated, so you have to be patient with the people around you,” he said.

This year, Ramadan coincides with the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

Ghulam said local Muslim leaders are calling for peace in Gaza, and are working to achieve it here at home as well.

“We're living in a community,” he said. “We love to work with communities because even though we have a different faith, we are one people.”

Roughly 1.8 billion people will be participating in Ramadan this year with the holy month ending on April 9th.