Feature: Syrian refugees in Lebanon longing for spending Ramadan in homeland

Syrian Maissa al-Ali who was displaced from Damascus neighborhood to Lebanon's west Bekaa town of Bar Elias was filling an old broken fireplace with wooden sticks she collected from a nearby plain, to prepare the usual "Iftar" meal for her family of six as Muslims are observing the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

"We are forced to accept this fate. We have to be patient and accept hunger and the pain of displacement, hoping that this holy month would be an occasion for our countrymen to reconcile and bring back peace to our country," she told Xinhua while repeating "Ramadan kareem (generous)," the normal hello Muslims use to salute each other whem they meet during the month.

Instead of welcoming the holy month with happiness and joy, Syrian refugees in Lebanon are facing hard living conditions and suffering from psychological and emotional problems.

Muslims celebrate Ramadan by fasting from dawn till sunset.

Linda al-Khayali, a mother of five children, was preparing in her tent in the Bekaa town of Rachaya "Souhour," a pre-dawn meal which is the last one Muslims are allowed to have before the fasting hours begin.

"My Lebanese neighbors are generous and they provide me with some food stuff because Muslims are ordered to help others who are in need during the month, and this is how I manage to feed my family with the Iftar and Souhour," she said..

As for Um Hussein Hamda al-Khatib, an 80-year-old woman displaced from Beit Jin to Hasbaya, she told Xinhua that this is her fourth Ramadan in displacement.

She was widowed two years ago when "Takfiris" launched a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at the entrance of her house, killing her husband.

She had to move to Lebanon with all her 49 family members, including sons, daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, most of them suffering from health problems and some are handicapped.

"Our family is spread over five locations, some are living in a garage, some in a room and others in tents," she added.

Her eldest daughter Salwa said that "with the total absence of aid that used to be provided by the NGOs, we are striving to continue living and exercising our duties in this holy month. Our Iftar is humble but what is hurting us most is being away from home and that we do not foresee any return soon."

In the town of Ketermaya, Lebanese Ali Tafesh provides shelter for many Syrian refugees and allows them to erect a small camp in his land, and even provides the refugees' families with a free Iftar.

Tafesh launched at the beginning of Ramadan a local campaign to collect donations from the Lebanese donors to provide the refugees with a daily Iftar meal, "as this is a must on Muslims during Ramadan," he told Xinhua.

He said he also used to provide the refugees with new clothes during the winter season and other household items among other services.

He argued that most of the Syrian refugees in the camp cannot afford to feed themselves or their children.

"The Syrian refugees are going through harsh humanitarian conditions. We have to help but still we have limited funds so we hope that more people come and help the large number of refugees," he told Xinhua.

While the Syrian refugees do not feel the joy that should accompany Ramadan, they pray to the God so that their country could become safe and secure again so they could return home.

Ahmed, a Syrian refugee from the devastated city of Homs, told Xinhua that "we have been here for four years now. The first three years were very difficult but now we got used to cope with our situation. Ramadan was different for us and for our children. It has a different taste to spend in our homeland Syria."

According to the United Nations Higher Commission for refugees, there are more than 1.2 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Endit