IQNA

Malawi Ramadan Challenges Muslim Employees

11:40 - June 28, 2015
News ID: 3320420
TEHRAN (IQNA) – Scores of Muslims in Malawi have complained of harsh treatment being subjected to them by their Christian employers in the Holy month of Ramadan, a development the country’s minority Muslim community has described as “demeaning” to Islam.

“The month of Ramadan for most of us Muslims who are working for Christian employers is a painful experience. Our bosses, because they don’t understand the significance of the month of fasting to a Muslim are subjected to harsh treatment, which makes fasting even harder,” Salim Ibrahim, who works as a gardener in the commercial city of Blantyre, told OnIslam.net.

“Most of us Muslims working for Christian employers don’t even dare to fast, because of the treatment we go through. We are therefore appealing to Muslim leaders to sensitize the Christian community on issues about Islam. Ramadan is one of the most important pillars of our religion therefore, we should be happy to fulfill its requirements.

“Some Christians feel it is a waste of time to fast for a month. They don’t see its significance. Ramadan for most of us working for Christians it is a hard time. It’s not time for joy,” said Ibrahim.

“This attitude mocks the much-prided freedom of worship in the country. Ramadan is an important event in the lives of Muslims, it’s therefore of paramount importance that working Muslims could be accorded fair treatment in the course of fasting.”

Interviews conducted among Muslims working for Christian employers in the country’s three major cities revealed that for most of them, the month of Ramadan was the hardest to work for Christians.

“There are some Christians in this country who strongly believe that Islam is an inferior religion, therefore valuing events like Ramadan was glorifying ‘something which is less important’,” said Ibrahim.

Imran Daudi, who works as a cook for a Christian family in the city of Lilongwe said his bosses don’t even allow him to fast.

“I have always been told that I shouldn’t be fasting. They tell me to choose between fasting and work. Since it is hard to get a job, I abstain from fasting. But this is against my freedom of conscience. It is hard life,” Daud told OnIslam.net.

Daudi, a middle aged Muslim who couldn’t allow us to talk to his bosses for fear of obvious reprisals, asked Muslim authorities in the country to investigate the abuses Muslims are going through during the month of Ramadan.

“We are known to be a God-fearing nation, where freedom of worship isn’t even negotiable. But what’s this? By the way, who are supposed to accord us that freedom? Are Christians the ones with the authority to accord us this freedom?”

Lack of Awareness

Random interviews with some of the county’s Christian employers revealed depressing confessions.

Most of the employers maintained that Islam was a “small religion to be accorded much attention.”

Paul Chidothi one of the Christian employers in Blantyre said his attitude towards Muslims in the month of Ramadan is a result of lack of tolerance and understanding of the value of Ramadan to Muslims.

“Most of us grew up believing that Christianity is superior to Islam. Therefore, to value Ramadan is hard to most of us. It is like we are glorifying something which is of less importance,” Chidothi, a devout Catholic himself, told OnIslam.net.

"This is the reason w don’t see the need to accord a fair treatment, or any special treatment to our Muslim employees in the course of fasting. Although there is religious pluralism in the country, most of us feel Christianity is the only religion.

“May be with time, our mindset will be transformed and we will start appreciating the beauty of religious tolerance and respect for others’ religious values. Indeed to cultivate a peaceful co-existence, there is really need to respect each others’ faith beliefs,” said Chidothi.

Echoing his sentiments, Enock Simbeye, Presbyterian, who looks after five Muslim employees in his manufacturing company, said much as he understand what Ramadan was all about, there wasn’t much he will do to his Muslim employees during the month of Ramadan.

“Even some of us Christians do set aside some time for fasting, therefore, there is nothing I would do to Muslims who are fasting. This is purely voluntary. There is nothing an employer would do towards those fasting,” Simbeye told OnIslam.net.

Dismay

The Muslim community in the country has expressed sadness and dismay at the confessions and has appealed to the Christianity community in the country to value the contributions Muslims have made to the socio-economic development of the country by respecting what is required of Muslims during Ramadan.

“The treatment our Muslim brothers are experiencing at the hands of some Christian employers can’t be condoned. This is so barbaric and demeaning g to Islam. I appeal to Christians in the country to value the contributions Muslims have made to the development of this country, both socially and economically,” Alhaj Mohammed Idrissa, National Chairperson of Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM) told OnIslam.net.

"Let them respect what Muslims do in the course of fasting. Let them respect what our faith dictates.

“It is very unfortunate that there are still some people who can’t be tolerant towards other people’s faith beliefs in this age.  Who doesn’t know what Ramadan is and what it entails? Let us all of us regardless of our faith beliefs understand what other religions do, in this way, we are going to continue being a peaceful nation,” Idrissa added.

Concurring with Idrissa, Rev. Peter Mulomole, Publicity Secretary of Public Affairs Committee (PAC), a quasi-religious organization, condemned the “negative attitude” towards the Muslim community by some Christian employees.

“This is not in order and as PAC; we totally condemn this negative attitude. It is a recipe for religious strife and confrontation. We should learn to be tolerant and respect other people’s beliefs. Let Christian employers be fair towards Muslims who are fasting and working either for them or under them. We are all God’s people. Let therefore ones prevail,” Mulomole, a Catholic priest told OnIslam.net.

Sheikh Alli Makalani, Executive Director for Mangochi Forum for Peace and Justice, said it was important that in the name of religious tolerance, people should respect other people’s beliefs.

“Religious tolerance can flourish if believers respect each others’ major events such as Christmas, Easter and Ramadan. We are all equal as human beings despite having different religions hence respecting each others’ beliefs is of paramount importance,” Makalani told OnIslam.net.

Malawi is a secular, but diverse religious nation. Islam is the second largest religion in the country after Christianity. Muslims account for 36% of the country’s 14 million population.

Source: OnIslam.net

Tags: malawi ، muslims ، ramadan ، challenges
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