PERWAKILAN Doha 1428H Ramadan Bazaar

Staff Reporter

THE embassy of Malaysia, in association with the missions of some of the ASEAN countries, held a Ramadan Bazaar yesterday ?to keep alive an age-long tradition of their country? in Qatar too. Speaking to Gulf Times, first secretary at the embassy Zahairi Baharim said the aim of the embassy to organise the event was to celebrate Ramadan in Qatar the Malaysian way.

?Back home, we have street celebrations throughout the month during Ramadan, which is why we are gathering here too,? he said.

?After the bazaar, we plan to have a Tharawi gathering, where we will have some talks delivered by scholars. It will be followed by a suhoor on September 28 where all the Malaysians in Qatar are expected to gather to celebrate Ramadan the Malaysian way,? Baharim said.

After the Eid, the embassy was planning to have an Eid ul-Fitr bazaar, where more than one thousand Malaysians are expected to celebrate together and promote Asean culture.

?We will hold a Malaysian food fair inside special tents at Hyatt Plaza. We are also set to launch the first Malaysian restaurant in Qatar,? he said. According to the official, the Eid bazaar will be led by Tourism Malaysia's Dubai office together with the embassy in Qatar, at Hyatt Plaza. ?The highlight of the event will be the celebration of Malaysia's 50th Independence Day. A formal reception will also be organised as part of the event,? he added.

Zanariyah Alias, acting chairperson of the Ladies Association of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia (Perwakilan Doha), which is organising the bazaar, said it is aimed at bringing people closer to home, especially as  it is the practice during Ramadan in Malaysia.

?In Malaysia, we hold bazaar on the sidewalks of streets, but here we have to do it at the embassy just to keep up the spirit as we would have done at home,? she said.
?We sell Malaysian food typical of Ramadan at the bazaar,? she added.

?This is the third year we are organising a Ramadan bazaar in Qatar. In the previous two years we were selling only Malaysian food, where only Malaysians were invited, but since last year we have been inviting international groups to join and this year we have asked other ASEAN countries to join in,? Alias added.

Other ASEAN countries participating in the bazaar include Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore. Philippine Ambassador Isaias F Begonia and the president of the Malaysians in Qatar Yaakob bin A Rahman were among others present on the occasion.