The New Normal: Separated during Ramadan, united in celebration

A look at life during a pandemic. On the surface, our communities are slumbering, as the vast majority of Washington’s citizens are homebound. Empty businesses and roadways offer a daily reminder of the risks the coronavirus presents. How we work, live, play and interact have all shifted. From the front lines to those in isolation, COVID-19 has affected everyone and behind every door, stories unfold. See more stories here.

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(Lighthearted piano music)

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Farhiya Mohamed: Right now is Ramadan.

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Farhiya Mohamed: This is the holy month.

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Farhiya Mohamed: Some people I don't see two months, three months, but like when they come to the mosque we can see, we can, ya know.

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Farhiya Mohamed: Have, yes, together everybody there but then now, yes, everything has stopped.

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Farhiya Mohamed: Now even my own family I don't see them.

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Farhiya Mohamed: My sisters, they live here. I don't see them.

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Farhiya Mohamed: All of us, we used to eat, maybe 50 of us there, but right now, you know each family they have to stay in their own house, so it's really hard.

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Farhiya Mohamed: So we will be fasting, like 30 days.

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Farhiya Mohamed: All day no water, no food, nothing.

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Farhiya Mohamed: Sometime we fast 16 hours, but when eat together and sit together, we don't feel it.

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Farhiya Mohamed: So you know everybody is coming together, relax, sitting together, all different kind of food.

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Farhiya Mohamed: I gain weight during Ramadan time. We used to go the mosque and then to the special prayers.

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Farhiya Mohamed: Usually we do like five times of prayers a day, but right now because of the COVID-19, we cannot go to the mosque.

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Farhiya Mohamed: So we cannot see each other.

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Farhiya Mohamed: Some of the people who depend on the mosques also they used to go to the mosque. They eat there.

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Farhiya Mohamed: If you don't speak the language, if you don't know the culture, it's really hard.

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Farhiya Mohamed: So many people they are out of work.

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Farhiya Mohamed: They stay home, children they are not going to school. So sometimes you can be too emotional because you don't have anybody.

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Farhiya Mohamed: When I came to this country, I came as a refugee also, and I feel same they feel right now.

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Farhiya Mohamed: So that's my number one this Ramadan is to help for the other people who need our help.

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Farhiya Mohamed: Our mission as an organization was to help for the refugee and immigrant families, especially women and children. But right now we are helping all the families.

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Fundisha Tibebe: We are putting together our Ramadan food baskets and distributing them to about 40 families today.

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Farhiya Mohamed: Ramadan is really expensive also. You have to buy a lot of food. And then, like, there are a lot of food coming out of the country also, the ethnic food, and really expensive. Some of them, now even they are not coming.

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Fundisha Tibebe: Some people won't be able to get access to the essential food staples and just necessities that they need during Ramadan.

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Farhiya Mohamed: Some of the, like, single parents and then the elderly, those people for us are the number one.

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Farhiya Mohamed: They don't speak the language. They don't drive, some of them.

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Farhiya Mohamed: I call them. I drop the food right there.

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Farhiya Mohamed: I don't go inside the house, and they can see me out there and they wave, say, "OK."

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Farhiya Mohamed: They happy when they see me out there.

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Fundisha Tibebe: Hopefully, we'll be doing a couple more all the way through the end of Ramadan, until Eid.

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(Chanting foreign language)

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Fundisha Tibebe: Ramadan is a month of reflection, of give back, of growth and with COVID going on for anyone, it could be challenging to kinda stay in tune with that, and we wanted people to able to take the time to really enjoy Ramadan and celebrate it with their families for what it is.

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Farhiya Mohamed: I hope everything will return same as it before.

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Farhiya Mohamed: To see all my friends and the families to get there, and also to go back to my co-workers. And then we can celebrate Eid together for all the families and friends and, yes, community.

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Farhiya Mohamed: We really need more support than ever.

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Farhiya Mohamed: We bless everybody, all human beings, not only Muslim.

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Farhiya Mohamed: Whole world we are praying for.

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[Narrator] Comcast, Washington is proud to help

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our neighbors stay connected.