In Photos: Migrants in Malaysia celebrated Eid under stricter lockdown rules, banning mosque

A Yemeni family visits friends and neighbors on Eid al-Adha. Traditionally families and friends visit each other, go out and spend the day together. “For every Eid we prayed together, we ate together, then go out, have fun, take photos, eat some more, sing, dance. This year it's more toned because of Covid, people are still afraid,” said Mohammed al Radhi. Photo by Alexandra Radu.

For many refugees in Malaysia, this year’s Eid al-Adha came in a time of great uncertainty and financial insecurity brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, which surged in migrant and refugee communities there in April and May. 

The clusters of COVID-19 cases among refugees and migrants prompted the Malaysian government to crackdown on immigration and illegal migrants with stricter lockdown rules for all immigrants, even as Malaysia started opening businesses and resuming public gatherings. So far the country has recorded about 9,000 cases and 125 deaths, but the real number affected is likely several times larger.

The government banned foreigners from entering mosques at the beginning of June. 

“Firstly, the number of COVID-19 positive cases is higher among foreigners,” said senior minister for security Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who announced the measure on June 5. “And secondly, of course we want to give priority to Malaysians.”

A group of refugees pray together on the morning of the Eid al-Adha in a hallway of their apartment building. Foreigners were banned from entering mosques. Photo by Alexandra Radu.

The ban on foreigners entering mosques extended into Eid al-Adha July 31, which celebrates the belief that Abraham, a forefather of Islam as well as Judaism and Christianity, was willing to sacrifice his first-born son at God’s request, though God then told him to sacrifice an animal instead. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha by slaughtering a lamb, goat or cow, eating and praying in community and distributing meat to the poor. 

The ban meant foreigners couldn’t pray in mosques or perform ritual animal sacrifices. 

Many refugees and migrants in Malaysia instead met privately with close friends and tried to help their own communities. Prayers, house visits and food distribution programs happened in small groups of less than 20 people, following strict post-lockdown rules for foreigners enforced by the Malaysian government. 

As a non-signatory country of the Refugee Convention, Malaysia doesn't recognize refugees but has been accepting them on humanitarian grounds for the last few decades. The approximately 180,000 refugees living in Malaysia are more often than not affected by the country's decisions regarding the approximately 4 million migrants living in the country. 

“This year the celebration is toned down because of Covid, people are still afraid,” said Dr. Mohammed al Radhi, community leader of the biggest Yemeni community in Kuala Lumpur. “It's a big difference from other years.”

People normally hug while meeting friends on the morning of Eid al-Adha. “This year people are barely shaking hands. Before Covid you needed one hour to hug everyone after the Eid prayer,” said Mohammed al Radhi. Photo by Alexandra Radu.

People barely shook hands, while before the pandemic, you needed at least an hour to hug everyone after the Eid prayer, he said. 

Eid is normally a festive occasion, with a feast after prayers and going out into markets and streets for more treats like dessert, singing and dancing. This year, many living in the migrant and refugee communities are scared to leave their homes because of the outbreaks in their neighborhoods.

“Some people are very scared by the corona,” al Radhi said. “We have many problems. We have no work, no education, no health— for us corona is a big problem.”

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Fardus, program coordinator at the Somali Refugee Community Centre, prays before leaving for a meat distribution program in the Somali refugee community. She has been living for almost 6 years in Malaysia. “I came to Malaysia with two of my oldest children, my other 7 children are still in Somalia, being taken care of by their eldest sister,” said Fardus. There are many single mothers, in our community, around 2000, because their husbands are dead or missing. Some mothers come with only some of their children, some without any,” she said. Photo by Alexandra Radu.

A group of refugees prayed together on the morning of Eid al Adha. Gatherings larger than 20 people were forbidden for all Malaysians and foreigners. Photo by Alexandra Radu.

Children receive Yemeni traditional cakes, candy and dry nuts during family visits on the Eid morning. Photo by Alexandra Radu.

Somali youth volunteers pack meals for distribution on the Eid al Adha morning. The food was distributed to youth without families and single mothers in the refugee community. Photo by Alexandra Radu.

Ridwan, 22, a teacher at a refugee school in the Somali community, visits the family of one of her students during a during a food distribution program run by the Somali Refugee community centre on Eid al Adha. “I miss my students, I haven't spent time with them in months as our refugee school is still closed because of Covid,” said Ridwan. Photo by Alexandra Radu.

“In our Somali culture we help each other. If anybody needs something, for as long as needed, we help. Fartoun is a single mother who came to Malaysia two and a half years ago with her 5 children, she helps the students that she shares the apartment with, she cooks for them and they share the cost of the house. She couldn't afford the 1500 RM (approximately $353) rent on her own,” said Ridwan. Photo by Alexandra Radu.

Ridwan prays together with a single mother and her children that she delivered food to on Eid al-Adha. “We are in close contact with our community, so that's how we can know what they need and how we can help,” said Ridwan, who is also in charge of the program helping single mothers at the Somali Refugee Community Centre. Photo by Alexandra Radu.

Volunteers at the Somali Refugee Community Centre prepare beef and lamb meat for distribution on Eid al-Adha. Ritual animal sacrifices were performed on behalf of refugee communities by Malaysian refugee support groups, with animals being donated by Malaysians themselves. Photo by Alexandra Radu.

Volunteers deliver meat to families in the Somali refugee community on Eid al-Adha. Photo by Alexandra Radu.

A total of 420 families registered online to receive meat during the 3 days of Eid al-Adha. On the first day of Eid, 77 kg of meat were delivered by volunteers to families, each family receiving 1 kg. Photo by Alexandra Radu.

Malaysian refugee aid groups helped the communities by performing the ritual sacrifices of animals donated by Malaysians on behalf of the refugee communities. One organization, Humanity Heroes Foundation, delivered meat they slaughtered from 9 cows, 7 sheep and 9 goats to 11 different refugee communities, according to the founder Ashraff Rahman.

Community leaders coordinated the distribution process with online registrations advertised on social media. Around 420 families registered. Most were households with single mothers, working as cooks and maids but now out of work since March. 

“Mostly people registered online, then we prioritized the big families, above 6 children, but we are trying our best to make sure all the people have meat this Eid. “We are trying to help those who need it most,” said Mohamed, 24, a Somali refugee community leader. 

Alexandra Radu is a photojournalist based in Bucharest, Romania. She has been published in Al Jazeera, the New York Times, Religion News Service, Reuters and AP, and her images have won awards at the Religion News Association Awards for Religion Reporting Excellence in 2017, 2018 and 2019.