DUBAI // Sitting wherever they can find space in the crowded tent, thousands of construction workers gather to break fast together after a hard day's work. More than 3,000 workers head for the giant Ramadan iftar tent at a labour camp in Dubai to share dates and water with friends and colleagues. Every evening, as the call for prayer rings out, the tent set up in Sonapur by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing begins to fill up with labourers from all over the city.
"It helps me forget my worries and indulge in prayers and celebrations," said Khalid Mustafa, a construction worker from India who visits the tent every day. "This Ramadan season has been a relief for many of us thanks to this iftar tent." Organisers said yesterday that the tent was in its seventh year but attendance over the past two years was up. "This year the surge in the number of people coming is phenomenal," said Arshad Khan, a spokesman for the tourism department.
Immigrant labourers from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are among those who come. "It's not just the food that brings us here, but we also get some time to pray in peace and silence," said K Moideen, a worker whose camp is a few blocks away. "People walk for kilometres to get to this camp." As prayers begin, silence spread through the tent. After the prayers and a brief lecture, large plates of biryani are served.
Gift vouchers are also distributed to the men. pmenon@thenational.ae