Celebrating Ramadan during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study in Malaysia

Shahrina Ismail ； Sharifah Fairuz Syed Mohamad ； Maisarah Saidin ； Fatin Ahza Rosli

《Southeast Asian Social Science Review》 Special Issue (2021/07) Pp. 104-126

https://doi.org/10.29945/SEASSR.202107/SP.0005

摘要

Entering the month of Ramadan this year has been different from previous years. It is a logical question to ask whether fasting can pose an increased risk of catching the COVID-19 virus due to dehydration as the coronavirus pandemic is sweeping its way across the world. The hardship following this COVID-19 period sparks the thought of the repercussions that arose among the public. Therefore, this research is conducted to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ramadan's holy month among Muslims in Malaysia by utilizing questionnaires for data collection. The factors studied Editor's Note: SEASSR maintains its policy of a maximum of three authors per paper. However, due to unavoidable circumstances and after due consideration, we agree to allow this paper to have four authors. include the differences in religious activities (fasting, prayers, charity), self-sacrifice, and self-discipline. An online sample of Malaysian residents was successfully recruited via the authors' networks with residents and social media in Malaysia. In summary, the COVID-19 pandemic does impose differences in three components, namely religious activities, self-sacrifice and self-discipline during Ramadan this year in Malaysia. There are significant mean differences for the three components across the socio-demographic variables, specifically among marital status. Among the three components, two variables have the highest correlation, which are self-sacrifice and religious activities. Regression analysis also shows that religious activities and self-discipline have significant effects on self-sacrifice.

關鍵字

COVID-19 ； pandemic ； Malaysia ； Ramadan ； fasting