July 6, 2016

A Ramadan away from home for Rohingya

It’s a grey sunset on a hot and humid evening in the smoggy outskirts of India’s capital. In a barren wasteland between New Delhi and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, the muezzin of a makeshift mosque calls Muslims to prayer. Dozens of men gather for a traditional iftar meal to break their Ramadan fast.

A charity is picking up the tab for the day’s feast. Sliced mangoes, dates and pakoras (fried snacks) are served on paper plates. As the aroma of chicken biryani wafts through the mosque, the children waiting outside grow restless. The early diners are shunted off by the local imam. There are more stomachs to be fed.

Life is a daily struggle for the 300-odd occupants of this shanty town hundreds of miles away from home. All 70 families are Rohingya -- an ethnic Muslim minority in Myanmar -- who have fled persecution in their homeland. (Courtesy of reuters.com)

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