Dubai: For years, even before moving to the UAE, Qinqxin Liu and his family have been holding group iftars for the Chinese community in their home every Friday during Ramadan.
“Ramadan is very beautiful time of the year as we feel spiritual. It is the month of worship and reading the Quran, and during which the reward of good deeds are multiplied. It is also a gift from Allah to cleanse us from our sins,” said Liu, 35, a Chinese Arabic teacher from Dubai.
Following Sunnah, Liu said, he holds these group iftars, “God rewards people who fast and those who provide them with food to end their fast and this is all we seek.”
Some 200 people, mostly Chinese, gather at Liu’s home in Dubai to end their fast together eating Chinese food.
Liu who lives has moved to the UAE around a year ago, lives with his wife, two children, parents and sister.
“They [my family] encourage me to hold these gatherings. We have been holding these iftars in our home even before moving to the UAE. I used to live in Syria and we did the same,” he said.
The majority of people who attend are Chinese, however some of his Arabic friends have also joined some these iftars. “People who come are either friends, colleagues, or my students whom I teach Arabic. We just want the Chinese community to get together to feel the spirituality of Ramadan,” Liu explained.
“There were instances where some of my students, who are not Muslims, would ask about Islam after being touched by the spirit of the iftar gatherings. One person has converted to Islam last Ramadan because of one of these gatherings,” Liu explained.
As to what food they have in Ramadan, he said, “We do not have Chinese food that is specific to Ramadan, we just have our normal dishes. Each area in china have their own traditions in general.”
He said most Chinese food consists of stir-fired beef, chicken or shrimp, with vegetables that is usually eaten with rice or noodles.
Muslims are a small minority in China, he said, “we are less than five per cent of the population, so in China you do not feel the Ramadan spirit, unless you go to a mosque. There you have group iftars and they distribute food. Guangzhou for example has many mosques,” he said.
Liu is originally from Harbin, China, but moved to Syria with his family after finishing high school.