Ramadan on radio in Peterborough

Radio Ramadan will be broadcasting from a terraced house during holy month Peterborough's Muslims observing Ramadan can now take their minds off their hunger by listening to the radio. Radio Ramadan began broadcasting on 87.7FM on 12 August 2010, and will continue for the 30 days of Ramadan. Its range of religious programmes is on air for 24 hours a day in both English and Urdu. Presenter Awais Mustafah said: "We have a lot of people from different backgrounds but we have only one voice, one community." Ramadan is the most important religious festival to Muslims. They believe that it was during this month that the Angel Gabriel revealed the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad - to them, the very word of God - and something worth celebrating. Awais Mustafah and his sister Amarah are Radio Ramadan's presenters Self-restraint Ramadan (Sawm) is one of the five pillars of Islam and the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. Sawm means abstinence. Fasting is to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and conjugal relations between the hours of dawn and sunset. Many Muslims who observe Ramadan refer to it as an annual training programme during which they can develop better self-control and learn to overcome selfishness, greed, laziness and other faults. Fasting is considered indispensable for this moral and spiritual training. Radio Ramadan However indispensable it might be, observing the fast is not easy and by its very nature means that many Muslims have to rearrange their lives, changing their sleep patterns in order to accommodate mealtimes.  Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, so that you may learn self-restraint  Al-Qur'an 2:183 Radio Ramadan's presenters say that they will be on air for 24 hours a day during holy month to inform and entertain fellow fasters, no matter what time they choose to tune in. The station is broadcasting from a house in central Peterborough which has been converted for community use. As well as religious programmes, there will be religious music and competitions for children. Co-presenter, Amarah Mustafah, said: "It's going to be a lot of fun." However, they are mindful that in Pakistan, during the holiest of months, millions have been affected by the devastating floods, and Radio Ramadan hopes it can raise £2.5m to help with the relief effort. Prayers being said at the Jamia Ghousia mosque in Peterborough Ansar Ali is the secretary of the Jamia Ghousia mosque in Peterborough. He agreed that Ramadan was particularly poignant this year, because of the flooding in Pakistan. "It actually helps you understand the rewards of giving to charity, giving to those who are less fortunate than yourselves," he said. "Celebrating Ramadan is a combination of many, many factors that are spiritually, physically and mentally uplifting for every Muslim." Healthy eating During the period of fasting, Nazia Hasan of NHS Peterborough, has advised fellow Muslims to ensure that they stay healthy. She said: "The underlying message behind Ramadan is self-discipline and self-control. "A healthy diet is encouraged in the Qur'an in numerous verses. It is important that during the month of fasting, having a feast does not become normal behaviour and that a focus is placed on eating healthily and in moderation." She added: "Not being able to smoke in the day during Ramadan is the ideal opportunity to stop smoking altogether." Children under the age of 13, people with chronic illnesses, pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding are not obliged, or recommended, to abstain from food during Ramadan. Source:BBC - Ramadan on radio in Peterborough http://bbc.in/8Yo9mH (Yimber Gaviria, Colombia)