Muslims keep good memories of spending Ramadan in China, saying "free" to follow religion

Muslims from other parts of the world have recalled their pleasant experiences in spending the holy month of Ramadan in China, saying Muslims are free to follow their religion in the Asian country.

Dr. Imran Nawab, who studied medicine and surgery from 2008 to 2013 in a bachelor's degree program in Zhengzhou University in Zhengzhou, the capital city of central China's Henan Province, said he spent Ramadan four times in China and "had a very good experience" during his stay.

"Before my first Ramadan in China, I had been thinking and was worried that how I would keep my fast and take food so early in the morning," Nawab said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

He added he was relieved when he saw the hustle and bustle in Muslim restaurants and also in mosques, saying: "I visited the restaurants to eat food in the morning to keep the fast (later)."

Nawab said the restaurant staffs served Muslims some free extra food, which "impressed me a lot, because they were taking care of their Muslim brothers from another country."

He recalled that local Muslims used to serve them barbeques after they finished night prayers in mosques, which "was a very loving gesture from Chinese Muslims."

"Local Chinese Muslims were very practical Muslims; they kept the fast and also used to go to mosques for praying. There were around four mosques in the city that I know," Nawab said.

He also recalled his experience in spending in China the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

"On Eid day, we used to go to a main big mosque for praying and Chinese Muslims looked happy when they saw us praying along with them. I saw Chinese Muslim ladies also coming to the mosque for praying," Nawab said.

After the Eid praying, according to Nawab, groups of local Muslims used to meet them, wish them Eid greetings and invite them to a special lunch or dinner.

"I saw that Muslims in China are free to follow their religion and do prayers," Nawab concluded.

Nawab's words were echoed by other Muslims who also spent Ramadan in China.

Hj Rahmat, a Malaysian business man, said he had spent Ramadan twice in China, one in Guangzhou, the capital city of south China's Guangdong Province, and the other in Urumqi, the capital city of northwest China's Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region.

He said that the Muslims there performed the religious obligations freely, and there was no ban on Ramadan as reported by some irresponsible media recently.

"In my opinion, the atmosphere of Ramadan in Guangzhou was more or less similar to that in Malaysia. As to Urumqi, the Muslims there look like Arabian people, and they performed the fasting also the same as the Arabians," he added.

Abdul Wadud mullah Farhan mullah, an Emirati now studying in Guangzhou Civil Aviation College, dismissed the rumors that the Chinese government implements restrictive policies on Muslims to conduct the fast, saying that the Muslims in Guangzhou are very friendly and that they spent Ramadan just as what the Muslims do in Arabian countries.

"Every day I conduct the fast in the mosque, where food and drinks will be served free of charge for Muslims to break the fast," he said. Endi