Dr. Arif Kisana, a well-known columnist, writer, journalist, youtuber and author of "A Collection of Delightful Stories for Children: Based on Islamic thought", has started a series of interviews with children in Sweden on his YouTube channel. The purpose of which is to discuss various topics including education and training of children. Dr. Arif Kisana conducted this interview with my daughter @ilma-ansari which is in Urdu and I am sharing the English transcript of this interview with you.

Dr. Arif Kisana is an inspiration for us. I learn something from him everyday.

After moving to Sweden, I always referred to Sweden as "PARDES", Abroad or foreign country. But after meeting and discussing with Dr. Arif Kisana, I realised that Sweden is not a "DIYARE GHAIR OR PARDES" foreign country for us but a second homeland. Because we live in this country now and it is not appropriate to call it a foreign country. After discussing many such matters, one gets to learn a lot from Kisana Sahib. Education and upbringing of children in Pakistan and the way of raising children in Swedish society is very different. Children living in Pakistan gets the religious and cultural guidance of their elders and loved ones, while living here in Sweden they may feel the lack of it. And this deficiency is filled by people like Dr. Arif Kisana. Apparently, his interviews with children may not be of much importance to those living in Pakistan, but to those living outside Pakistan, it is a big deal. His interactions with the children are a means of encouraging the children to take the good things of the society and become good human beings and surely after watching these videos every child who is related to Pakistan in one way or another will be interested in learning more about their culture and traditions.

How do children in Sweden Fasting in Ramdan? | Talk to @ilma-ansari

TRANSCRIPT OF VIDEO

Arif Kisana: In which class do you study?
Ilma Ansari: I study in fifth grade
Arif Kisana: What is the name of your school?
Ilma Ansari: My school's name is Internationella Engelska Skolan, and I study at the Kista branch in Stockholm.
Arif Kisana: So you study in an English school?
Ilma Ansari: Yes
Arif Kisana: So most of your subjects will be in English?
Ilma Ansari: Yes
Arif Kisana: Do you usually speak English with your classmates at school?
Ilma Ansari: We communicate in both Swedish and English.
Arif Kisana: Masha Allah, you speak Urdu very well, so do you also study Urdu in school?
Ilma Ansari: Yes! Our school also teaches the mother tongue called Hemspråk. Urdu class is held once a week.
Arif Kisana: Do you read and write Urdu as well?
Ilma Ansari: Yes, I can read and write a little.
Arif Kisana: What is the number of children studying Urdu in your school?
Ilma Ansari: There are 5 children in our class who learn Urdu.
Arif Kisana: Which language do you find easier among Urdu, Swedish and English?
Ilma Ansari: First Swedish and then Urdu and English.
Arif Kisana: It is the month of Ramadan, so have you fasted?
Ilma Ansari: Yes
Arif Kisana: Are you fasting for the first time?
Ilma Ansari: No, I had fasted last year as well.
Arif Kisana: How many fasts did you observe last year?
Ilma Ansari: Not all fasts, but I tried to keep them
Arif Kisana: Why did you think of fasting?
Ilma Ansari: We keep fasting for ourselves. Fasting gives reward and fasting is done so that we realize that there are people in the society who are poor and do not even have food. And fasting does not mean that food shouldnt be eaten, but good words should be spoken, no fighting should be done.
Arif Kisana: Ilma told us in a scholarly manner that fasting does not mean being hungry and thirsty all day, but speaking good words, not fighting, care about others and avoiding bad words and becoming a good person is the main purpose of fasting. So how do you know all these things?
Ilma Ansari: Mom and dad tell and there are also discussions at home. We also read books and read Quran Sharif. But most of the time there is a discussion on various topics at home with mom and dad.
Arif Kisana: Have you read my book, which is also translated into Swedish and whose titles and compositions were done by your father?
Ilma Ansari: I have seen your book, haven't read it yet, but I will.
Arif Kisana: You also pray and at what age did you start praying?
Ilma Ansari: Seeing everyone in the house, I started to pray. I became interested in prayer after seeing the brothers. I don't remember when I started praying, but I started praying after seeing everyone at home.
Arif Kisana: Home environment is very important, children learn from what they see. The questions that come to your mind, you will ask your mom and dad?
Ilma Ansari: Yes.
Arif Kisana: It's nice to talk to you and I'm glad you know these things. Well, tell me when you eat at school, you say what you can eat and what you can't eat?
Ilma Ansari: We eat vegetarian in school, and in school we are told that it is halal and you can eat it.
Arif Kisana: You have been to Pakistan and how many times?
Ilma Ansari: We go to Pakistan almost every year.
Arif Kisana: Your grandfather, grandmother and relatives are in Karachi, so how do you feel about going to Pakistan?
Ilma Ansari: In Pakistan it is fun and it feels good to meet everyone, because we live in Sweden, it feels good to meet everyone after a long time.
Arif Kisana: It was very nice to talk to you Ilma, would you like to talk about fasting in Swedish?
Ilma Ansari: Yes! Fasting does not mean being hungry and thirsty all day, but speaking good words, not fighting, thinking about others and avoiding bad words and becoming a good person is the main purpose of fasting.
Arif Kisana: It is not difficult if you fast and go to school. Because non-Muslim children are eating and you are fasting, so you do not have any difficulty in fasting?
Ilma Ansari: No, it is not difficult. I did not go to the lunch hall on the first day of fasting, but from yesterday we have been told that we must sit in the lunch hall. For lunch we sit section wise so section E includes all the children who are fasting and we fasting children sit at a separate table.
Arif Kisana: The school doesn't forbid you not to fast?
Ilma Ansari: No, the school does not forbid it.
Arif Kisana: This is very good. But they must be wondering or your non-Muslim classmates asking you about fasting?
Ilma Ansari: Yes, they ask why we fast. As I told you before, I give them the same answer and in our school we also teach about different religions, because of which the children know about Islam and fasting.
Arif Kisana: Your non-Muslim friends may ask that you don't feel hungry or thirsty?
Ilma Ansari: Yes, they ask, but I tell them that we do Suhoor and also break Iftar in the evening.