For many Muslim newcomers in Canada, local mosques help them make friends and integrate into the community. So as a third wave of COVID-19 cases sweeps Canada, lockdown curbs are taking an especially heavy toll on recently arrived migrants. Instead of being able to start knowing their new community, and start building their networks to find jobs, they faced a situation where they had to stay home in lockdown, said Mirna El Sabbagh, a manager at COSTI Immigrant Services in Ontario.
But to mark Ramadan, many mosques are getting creative to help Muslim migrants like Sharbano forge community ties despite the pandemic s restrictions from organizing socially distanced prayers and online events to delivering meals.
In COVID-19 s Shadow, Migrants Find Solace in Ramadan Prayers and Online Iftars linktv.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from linktv.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
FEATURE-In COVID-19 s shadow, migrants find solace in Ramadan prayers and online iftars Reuters 2 hrs ago Communities get creative to mark second pandemic Ramadan Many Muslim migrants face isolation during lockdowns Community support vital to fight loneliness
By Jack Graham and Beh Lih Yi
TORONTO/KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - W hen Sharbano pictures the Islamic holy month of Ramadan back home in Oman, she remembers precious time with her large family, children running between houses, and neighbors delivering the iftar evening meal to each other and to the mosque.
Now seeking asylum in Canada, the 37-year-old lives with her two brothers in Pickering, a city in southern Ontario, and is observing the month of dawn-to-dusk fasting that began this week under lockdown for a second year.