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Tag: break fast

  • Halimah Yacob Does Not Confirm Running For Elected Presidency

    Halimah Yacob Does Not Confirm Running For Elected Presidency

    With eight constituencies and many invitations from different organisations to break fast, Madam Halimah Yacob said her days have been packed all the way till Hari Raya, and time with family has been hard to come by.

    The mother of five children, all in their 20s and 30s, said she is thankful her family “accepts” her schedule.

    “I’ve broken fast at home on only a few days, all the rest of the days have been out,” she said.

    She was quick to add that she does enjoy breaking fast outside, particularly with her residents.

    Madam Halimah said that sometimes she does not even have time to have a proper meal between events.

    During such moments, she shared that she slips into nearby mosques “incognito”.

    “The good thing is that every mosque here provides something to eat, so it’s quite interesting to break fast and then perform my maghrib (evening) prayers before I go off to my event,” she said.

    In 2015, on Polling Day, Madam Halimah’s mother died as she was doing her rounds. This year will be the second Hari Raya that she will be celebrating without her, but it never gets easier.

    Said Madam Halimah: “What I miss about mum is her presence. Sitting there, she used to sit on the sofa, just having her there would mean tremendous comfort because she’s been the pillar of strength for me all the while.”

    Hari Raya is not just a time to celebrate family, but to also remember the loved ones lost, as she pointed out.

    With a laugh Madam Halimah said: “I cook lontong for breakfast every Hari Raya morning. So the children have asked me this year if I am going to cook and I told them I will see how.

    “But no lah, I will make it this year, every year I will cook it.”

    Other than lontong, Madam Halimah is looking forward to having time for herself this festive weekend.

    “That’s the wonderful thing about Hari Raya, at least the first two days will be off limits,” she said.

    When asked if she sees herself becoming busier in the future, on account of the upcoming presidential election which she is widely rumoured to be considering, Madam Halimah laughed, reiterating that she had a lot on her plate.

    “I’ve been very busy actually. My time is really packed and, of course, in Parliament as Speaker the last few years have been very packed,” she chuckled.

    “Our Members of Parliament have been pretty active filing motions and so on, so that has kept me pretty busy.”

     

    Source: www.tnp,sg

  • Breaking Fast Together In Singapore’s Last Kampung

    Breaking Fast Together In Singapore’s Last Kampung

    Other than the crowing of roosters and the occasional visitor, afternoons in Kampung Lorong Buangkok are fairly quiet.

    But the kampung comes to life in the evenings, especially during Ramadan.

    On weekends especially, relatives stream into Mr Awe Ludin’s compound, merrily greeting the people already inside as they head straight for the kitchen with bags of food.

    By 6pm, the kitchen is a hive of activity as everyone gets ready to break fast.

    Mr Awe is considered the penghulu, or village elder, by the 11 Malay families of Singapore’s last mainland kampung.

    Speaking in Malay, the 82-year-old retiree said: “When we know that our family is coming, we will prepare big pots to cook some dishes.

    “My children will call, saying they are going to bring chicken or beef, so we will prepare prawns, because it will be tough for them to cook everything.”

    Mr Awe, who is also the caretaker of the kampung surau (small mosque), lived in a Housing Board flat in Ang Mo Kio before moving into the kampung in the 1980s because he preferred the openness of the kampung.

    “At the flat, I got to see friends only if I went down (to the void deck), and that is if they came down as well. In the kampung, I get to say hi to my neighbours (from my house) if they go out to throw their rubbish, and we get to chat for a bit.”

    His fondness for kampung life has rubbed off on his 58-year-old daughter, Madam Rohana Musa.

    The Taman Jurong resident returns to the kampung once a week.

    She said: “I miss the gotong-royong (communal) spirit and the kampung vibes.

    “In the kampung, you can clearly see the festive mood when we break fast with the our extended families.”

    When The New Paper was at the kampung last Sunday, Madam Rohana said she and her sisters had been up since 4am making cookies and rempeyek (a deep-fried Javanese cracker) until noon in preparation for the upcoming Hari Raya celebration on June 25.

    No matter the age, everyone in Mr Awe’s family looks forward to these family gatherings.

    His granddaughter, Miss Nur Aqilah Fiona Abdul Ghani, 19, told TNP that it is a time for all of them to set aside their busy schedules and catch up with each other while they clean the house and prepare meals.

    “It is tiring (to cook using the big pots), but after you see everyone enjoying the food, the smiles on their faces just wash away the fatigue,” she said.

    Miss Aqilah has been living in the kampung for about six years, after her parents decided to move in to take care of her grandparents.

    It was initially tough for her to adapt to kampung life without Wi-Fi, especially when she had school projects, but she got connected within a few weeks.

    Miss Aqilah admitted that it takes some time to load videos even now, but the staff nurse still enjoys the kampung spirit.

    “As a Singaporean teenager, I am proud to say that instead of just listening to the stories of past, I am able to experience the kampung life myself.”

    Even with its lively atmosphere, Kampung Lorong Buangkok is seeing its final days.

    An Urban Redevelopment Authority spokesman told TNP that the kampung is part of an area planned for future housing and associated amenities, but the authority has no immediate development plans for the area.

    Cousins Juliani Aripin, 23, and Muhd Irsyad Mohd Dolkifli, 17, are grateful to be able to balik kampung (Malay for return home) in Singapore during Ramadan.

    Miss Juliani, who visits the kampung once a month, said: “When people ask me where is my kampung, I am proud to say it is in Singapore.”

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • Hope For Racial Harmony In Singapore – Non-Muslim Youths Insists On Letting Muslims Break Fast First At Sheik Haikel’s Fat Papas

    Hope For Racial Harmony In Singapore – Non-Muslim Youths Insists On Letting Muslims Break Fast First At Sheik Haikel’s Fat Papas

    The future of Singapore is all good… these group of youngsters were really really niceee. They came at the hour of break fast and said “please let the Muslims break their fast first, we will wait for the next round.”

    Straight up… Big up… their parents did a wonderful job. I owe you guys.

    Till the next time we meet stay you.

    #fatpapasburgersandshakes #fatpapassg

     

    Source: Sheikh Haikel

  • Iftar With Prince Harry: We Even Forgot Prince Harry Was A Royal

    Iftar With Prince Harry: We Even Forgot Prince Harry Was A Royal

    With just half an hour to spare, 32-year-old Nazhath Faheema was told that she would be sitting beside Britain’s Prince Harry when he broke fast with young Muslims at a much-anticipated iftar meal in Singapore.

    “I was confused how to behave and how to act. I even started rehearsing what to say,” said the council member of Singapore’s Muslim Youth Ambassador of Peace (MYAP).

    “I kept reminding myself to call him by his formal title ‘Your Royal Highness’. But once we broke the ice, it felt like talking to a friend,” she said.

    The graduate student at Nanyang Technological University was photographed sharing a joke with the prince, also 32, in pictures that were widely picked up by international media.

    Prince Harry asked her about the significance of breaking fast with dates, and she told him that this was something Muslims practised generally.

    “I explained how Prophet Muhammad did this, and how we Muslims followed in his footsteps. There is a health benefit to breaking fast with dates and porridge and he was fascinated to know about that,” said Ms Nazhath, who reminded him to remove the seeds in the dates as they tucked into the fruit and porridge that were served at sunset.

    “WE EVEN FORGOT HE WAS ROYAL”

    Prince Harry also had praise for the performers of a sychronised silat demonstration just before the iftar session, when he found out how they endured physical training even while fasting, Ms Nazhath said.

    “He talked to the performers and was pleasantly surprised that they put themselves through rigorous training without consuming food or water for the entire day,” she said.

    “And that was thing that struck me about him – he was royalty, but he spared a lot of time and effort talking to people. Be it silat performers, activists or just everyday people, he wanted to speak to all of us if he could.”

    Initially worried about being a good host to the British prince, she said she was pleasantly surprised that it was he who made her feel welcome.

    “He was so casual, cool and dapper – we even forgot that he was royal,” Ms Nazhath said.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Prince Harry Joined Jamiyah Singapore For Iftar Session With Muslims At Start Of Singapore Visit

    Prince Harry Joined Jamiyah Singapore For Iftar Session With Muslims At Start Of Singapore Visit

    Britain’s Prince Harry opened his visit to Singapore by breaking fast with local Muslims on Sunday (Jun 4).

    He joined Jamiyah Singapore for a tradition iftar session – the breaking of fast at sunset during the Muslim month of Ramadan – at its headquarters at Guillemard Crescent.

    On his arrival there, Prince Harry received a traditional welcome from ten kompang (Malay hand drum) players, a customary way to mark a celebratory occasion in Malay culture.

    He was also given a silat demonstration, led by former world champion Sheik Alauddin Yacoob Marican.

    As the sun started to set, he joined around 80 young Muslims for iftar.

    After breaking fast, the prince sat at a number of tables so that he could chat with guests about the celebration.

    Earlier in the day, Prince Harry visited an Action for AIDS event, where he learnt more about HIV and AIDS issues in Singapore.

    During the event at Eden Hall in Nassim Road, Prince Harry saw a rapid HIV test and met with Action for AIDS’ staff, volunteers and service users to understand more about the challenges facing the HIV-positive community in Singapore.

    He was accompanied by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health and chair of the National HIV/Aids Policy Committee; British High Commissioner to Singapore Scott Wightman; and Professor Roy Chan, president of Action For Aids.

    HIV and AIDS are issues that are particularly close to the prince’s heart, according to the British High Commission. He will be taking part in the Royal Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup, an annual fundraising event that will take place on Monday.

    Sentebale is a charity that Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho established in 2006 to support children living with HIV in Southern Africa.

    The prince will head to Sydney on Wednesday (Jun 7), where he will launch the fourth Invictus Games.

    The Invictus Games, founded by the prince, is an international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women.

     

    Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/