Yellowknife's Muslim community observe what may be the final Ramadan without Islamic Centre

Yusur Al-Bahrani said there is one thing she misses most while fasting from sunrise to sundown throughout Yellowknife's rapidly increasing daylight.

"The most challenging thing about Ramadan is not having coffee," she said with a laugh.

Al-Bahrani said she'll have two shots of espresso before dawn, but then has to push through the rest of the day caffeine-less. 

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It's a month of fasting from sunup to sundown, prayer, reflection and community that concludes with the celebration of Eid-al-Fitr.

"But also it's a month of, I would say, spiritual transformation, because there are so many elements to Ramadan," Al-Bahrani said. 

This includes a better understanding of what it is like to not have enough to eat, and the importance of helping those in that situation.

Nazim Awan, chair of the Islamic Centre of Yellowknife, said after two years of the pandemic, this Ramadan has been special, being able to gather with the community. 

"Ramadan is an individual worship, but it is a community celebration," he said. 

Islamic centre 

It could also be the last Ramadan where the Muslim community in Yellowknife is without a centre for prayer and gathering. 

Fouzan Khan, CEO of the Islamic Society of North America-Canada, said the forthcoming Islamic centre could have a functioning structure built by August or September. 

"We're hoping for the weather to turn, which it is now," he said. 

He said this was made possible after the project received a $687,000 contribution from the federal government. 

Khan said the space will be perfect for future holidays, like Ramadan.

"We do have a strong culture and tradition of congregating for our weekly prayers as well as Ramadan being a month-long celebration of community and finding ways to strengthen our bonds with community," he said.

The building will have a space for prayer, as well as additional space that can be used for lecture series, outreach programs, soup kitchens, food banks, counselling services, as well as a youth safe space. 

"It's essentially a multi-purpose space that we're hoping to build," Khan said. 

The building will be in the same spot as the old Islamic Centre near the Racquet Club, which was torn down in 2019.

Days getting longer

A unique aspect of observing Ramadan in Yellowknife is the length of the day. 

On Tuesday, sunrise was at 6:45 a.m. and sunset at 8:36 p.m. and by May 1 — the end of Ramadan — sunrise will be at 5:21 a.m. and sunset will be at 9:50 p.m. 

As a result, Awan said most of the Muslim community in Yellowknife follows Edmonton's timeline for fasting, but added it's anyone's choice how they do it. 

Al-Bahrani has lived in Yellowknife for four years and said each previous Ramadan she would follow a southern time schedule, but this year will try local time. 

She said her Ramadan has been not very exciting as her family doesn't live in town and she has been celebrating mostly alone. 

But she said one friend who is also Muslim dropped off enough samosas for her to break her fast to all month. 

"Traditionally there are lots of appetizers, so people break our fast with samosas or any kind of appetizers and then there is the actual meal. So I really appreciated that because I didn't make any appetizers," she said. 

Al-Bahrani said she tends to eat salads or soups when she breaks her fast, trying to get as many nutrients as she can.

Awan said anything halal is appropriate for breaking the fast, but dates are a common food for the Iftar, the evening meal after sunset. 

Awan invited anyone who's not Muslim and is interested in learning and celebrating the holiday to reach out. 

He said there are many families who would be happy to invite them to break their fast. 

"It is very important to invite other people to break a fast with you and make sure that the people who are in your community that you know, certain people need help, help them," Awan said.