North America's Northernmost mosque will be holding a community feast during the month of Ramadan, which began this week, to celebrate the holy month.
Samantha McKay/NNSL photo
"We will choose a day to invite all of our friends and their families to [the mosque] and we will break the fast with them here," said Hamed Ibrahim, a member of the Midnight Sun Mosque. "But we also come to the mosque everyday during Ramadan around 7 p.m. and we have food, we all gather here to break our fast. We always have food, so if you didn't cook, feel free to come straight to the mosque."
Ramadan is a month-long Islamic celebration that falls in the ninth month of the lunar calendar. Muslims spend the month fasting while the sun is up in an act of worship of God, as well as taking part in charitable deeds.
"Ramadan is a month where all Muslims are required to fast for 30 days, from sunrise to sunset," said Ibrahim. "In that period of time, you can't drink anything or eat anything, or have any sexual contact with your spouse, or engage in any bad behaviours."
In Inuvik, Muslims face a unique challenge when it comes to fasting – at this time of year, the sun technically sets around 1 a.m. and rises around 4 a.m., but it doesn't get very dark.
"If you look outside during those hours, you can barely call what we have a night, since it is so bright out even after sunset," said Ibrahim.
Saleh Hasabelnabi, imam at the Midnight Sun Mosque, said the mosque's community decided to follow the fasting schedule of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, since the sun doesn't truly set in Inuvik at this time of the year.
Mecca is thought to be the holiest city by Muslims because it is where both the Islamic faith and the Prophet Muhammad were born.
Inuvik Muslims will fast from about 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., just as Muslims in Mecca will, according to Hasabelnabi.
"We follow the schedule of Mecca, so we fast about 14, 15 hours a day here in the North," said Hasabelnabi. "Following Mecca is the easiest for us."
Another option for the approximately 60 Muslims in Inuvik would be to follow the schedule of the closest city – Edmonton – according to Hasabelnabi.
Hasabelnabi and Ibrahim said despite the challenge of constant sunlight, celebrating Ramadan in Inuvik is just like celebrating anywhere else.
"It's a great community, it's safe," said Ibrahim. "And we can break our fast with Arctic char. There's nothing better than that! We cook it in our own way, but Arctic fish, it's the best."