Thomson Reuters Foundation,The New York Times
Published: 30 Apr 2021 07:09 PM BdST
Updated: 30 Apr 2021 07:09 PM BdST A bus passes Oxford Circus tube station in London, Britain Apr 25, 2021. REUTERS
When Anver Patel got an invite to book his second COVID-19 vaccination from a chat group linked to his local mosque, he wondered whether it was wise to go ahead during Ramadan. );
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He was worried that side-effects from the vaccine would force him to take painkillers - which are not allowed while fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims do not eat, drink or take oral medication between dawn and sunset.
Published:
7:00 AM April 26, 2021
The first in a series of interviews with Muslims across Redbridge to hear how they are observing the holy month of Ramadan is with Bashir Patel, trustee of Ilford Muslim Society and a chairman of FORMO s panel.
- Credit: Bashir Patel
As part of a series on Ramadan, we caught up with some Muslims across Redbridge to see how they are observing the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.
Ramadan is the Arabic name for the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and runs from April 13 until May 12 this year.
While last year s Ramadan fell during the first lockdown and mosques were closed, this time around they are open but with some restrictions in place.
Among those vaccinated at the clinic in the cemetery was an 82-year-old man who came to visit his son s grave and saw the vaccination centre sign outside the hall of remembrance.
He had dismissed the notion of being vaccinated, believing the vaccine to be harmful, but after speaking to volunteer Dr Mahfuj Ahmed for 15 minutes, he agreed to have the jab and was visibly moved by the experience.
Another person was a woman who had come to visit her father s grave following his recent death from Covid.
Despite having underlying health conditions, she had shied away from having the jab due to concerns about the vaccine she had read on social media.