Her parents, who are from Bangladesh, have long been settled in the US, and Tanu grew up in New York.
Abu Dhabi - Having grown up in the US all her life, the celebrations and festivities surrounding the Holy Month in the UAE makes her Ramadan special.
Published: Fri 2 Jun 2017, 8:14 PM
Last updated: Fri 2 Jun 2017, 10:29 PM
Observing the first Ramadan in a Muslim country was a culturally enlightening experience for Tanu Zahir.
Having grown up in the US all her life, the celebrations and festivities surrounding the Holy Month in the UAE makes her Ramadan special.
"We are not used to this kind of festive atmosphere in the US. Ramadan or any other Islamic holiday is just like any other day. You don't feel it and go about as business as usual," said Tanu who is a business analyst.
Her parents, who are from Bangladesh, have long been settled in the US, and Tanu grew up in New York. Married with an eight-year-old son, Tanu and family moved to the UAE in 2011.
"My first Ramadan in the UAE had lots of pleasant surprises. The fact that restaurants remain close throughout the day and shops are open till late night, were all new things to us."
"Ramadan tents that are sprinkled across the city was another big surprise. The community spirit and camaraderie people share during Ramadan here are unique, and you do not see it in the US."
Iftar has also taken a different meaning. "The amazing thing about living in the UAE is you are always home to cook for Iftar due to the reduced working hours, something I could never do as a working woman in the US," said Tanu.
"My mother was a homemaker, and I have fond memories as a child, how we all used to sit together and break our fast and enjoy Iftar at home. I want to foster similar memories for my son, and I am glad I am able to do it now."
Tanu said fasting is also much easier in the UAE. "Now my parents are fasting almost 16 and a half hours every day. Though the weather is extreme here, I don't have any reason to complain because we live a privileged life compared to many who fast while doing manual labour out in the sun."
Though observing Ramadan in a predominantly non-Musim country like the US came with its own discomforts, Tanu says she would not underplay the privileges and opportunities she enjoyed while living in the US.
"Though there is some bad stuff happening, most of it is media hype. There are lots of good people out there and there are lots of good stories. In the US, many non-Muslims are contributing to building mosques, and the majority of Muslims also feel at home and are not subjected to any kind of prejudice. But we don't hear about all these because these stories don't sell," said Tanu.
anjana@khaleejtimes.com
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