Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims, who embrace fasting, prayer, spiritual discipline, and empathy with the less fortunate as part of its observance.
There are currently thousands of Muslims from China working and studying in Kuala Lumpur and they regard it as a blessing to be celebrating in a country with some unique qualities.
Malaysiakini spoke to five Muslims from China who observed that Ramadan in Malaysia compared to China as Malaysia had “hot weather, many mosques, and great food”.
Friends from many countries
Wang Jingyi, 19, is from Shaanxi and is an undergraduate student at a public university. Having only arrived in Malaysia earlier this year, he needed to adjust to the heat.
He said Malaysian Muslims attach great importance to Ramadan and abide by the discipline and chores to be completed during the holy month.
Wang often goes to the mosque to pray with Muslims from different countries and listen to the imam’s lectures.
He said the big difference is that, in China, there are not so many people of the same faith and there is no such atmosphere.
Wang also said Malaysia is a food paradise for Muslims as they can eat halal food from many cultures including Korean, Japanese, Indian, Malay, Thai, and Western.
This range of halal cuisine options is not available in China, he said.
He was also happy to have made Muslim friends from Bangladesh, Türkiye, and Saudi Arabia.
“We come from all over the world and met in Malaysia. We go to restaurants to break fast together, go to mosques to pray together, and celebrate Aidilfitri together,” he said.
Many mosques to pray at
Ma Bolin, 18, a student from Yunnan, also cited adjusting to Malaysia’s high temperatures as an initial challenge.
Recalling his previous Ramadan in Yunnan, he said there were only one or two other Muslim classmates at school.
Moreover, most of the food at school was non-halal, which was particularly inconvenient for him, especially when it came time to break fast as he needed to organise his own time and food.
But in Malaysia, he said Ramadan here makes him feel quite special.
Bolin said the Ramadan atmosphere here is strong and the food is convenient, with Muslim and Chinese restaurants everywhere.
“Even abroad, I can still eat Chinese food. There is a Chinese stomach everywhere I go.
“Malaysian food has a variety of sauces that hit the taste buds and are very appetising such as assam sauce, Nyonya sauce, and sambal,” he said, adding that Malaysia is full of warmth and kindness, and a roadside iftar meal with friends helps alleviate homesickness.
He added that there are also many mosques where he could go to break fast and perform Tarawih prayers, which are held every night during Ramadan, usually after the iftar meal.
Most mosques will provide a certain number of free iftar meals and everyone can sit on the floor and experience the joy of breaking fast together, he said.
Bolin said the strong Islamic culture also gave him a different impression of Malaysia.
“The weather is too hot and it’s easy to be thirsty when I fast. But there is such a good Muslim environment, with Muslims encouraging and supporting each other to persevere.”
Five years in Malaysia
Ma Jing, 25, is from Qinghai Province, and has been in Malaysia for five years. She said she has adapted to the hot climate and the laid-back environment.
“This year’s Ramadan has returned to March and April. The weather is hot and there is little rain. It is difficult for people to go to class and go out.
“During the fasting month, the test will be greater than usual because you cannot drink or eat during the day. When the temperature is too high, it’s easy to fall asleep,” she said.
Bing also said that foreign cuisine is rare in China but in Malaysia, she can easily find her favourite “Arabic rice”. This can be found in bustling markets selling goods from the region, she said.
“My favourite thing about Aidilfitri every year is cooking delicious food with friends to welcome Aidilfitri and then going out for fun,” she added.
With her graduation coming soon, Bing said she has developed a strong connection to Malaysia and will miss the country if she has to return to China.
Lively Ramadan bazaar
Zhang Shuting, 22, is from Northeast China and has also been in Malaysia for five years, currently doing media studies.
Partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she has spent many Ramadans in Malaysia, celebrating it in different ways every year.
She said mosques in her hometown are less crowded as there are fewer believers, but mosques in Malaysia are packed when it’s time to pray.
Sometimes, there were so many people that they had to stand at the door and pray, Zhang said.
She said the most memorable part of Ramadan is the bazaars, which offer a wide variety of delicious food.
At the bazaars, Zhang loves trying out different snacks such as fried pineapple, fried bananas, fried chicken fillets, fried cheese sausages, and so on, often returning home happy with a full stomach.
She also noted that many Malaysian Muslims break their fast in restaurants, and noticed eateries in malls are almost always full.
Zhang said she even had to book two to three days in advance to have an iftar meal with her friends at Japanese steamboat chain Sukiya.
Lastly, she said she enjoyed Malaysia’s laid-back lifestyle.
“Life in Malaysia is much slower and more relaxed than in China.” - Mkini
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