Even during Ramadan, the holy month when Muslims abstain from eating and drinking liquids from sunrise to sunset, UNIFIL's Muslim peacekeepers still have to perform their duties.

Even during Ramadan, the holy month when Muslims abstain from eating and drinking liquids from sunrise to sunset, UNIFIL's Muslim peacekeepers still have to perform their duties. And being away from their families and loved ones doesn't make things easier. While UNIFIL's Bangladeshi, Indonesian, Malaysian, and Turkish peacekeepers are observing Ramadan, it is the Bangladeshi contingent that is doing it at sea. 250 Bangladeshi peacekeepers man the frigate BNS Osman, which is operating since 9 June 2012, on its third rotation, as part of UNIFIL's Maritime Task Force.

Duty always comes first, even during Ramadan especially when the frigate is at sea. Everyone has to be available to follow their duties under the mission's mandate even at Iftar time which is announced as a general broadcast to all stations and rooms on board every evening. Those who can leave their posts join in around the Iftar table to share food as one family.

Those who are bound to their posts during Iftar time are served food at their place of duty, as for the leading radio operator Mohammad Atiqur Rahman. He admits to being served his Iftar many times on duty, while communicating with other ships. "Fasting is an obligation for us without forgetting to follow our duties as peacekeepers" Rahman said in an interview.

For a few crew members, fasting might be a challenge when conducting their duties, as is the case for the Lieutenant Commander Mahbub the diving officer on board. His duty is to dive and inspect the underwater system flow of the frigate before and after embarking out to sea. "Being on duty during Ramadan is okay for me, although my service is quiet challenging but I manage it without breaking my fasting as some might fear."

For others it is easier to join the Ramadan table when they break their fasting. Their duties allow them to enjoy the chief cook officer Mohammad Shahabuddin's delicious traditional Bangladeshi dishes, served hot on the dining table.

After iftar the peacekeepers perform their prayers, with most of the crew members aiming to have recited the whole Quran by the end of the month. Lined up on the deck of the BNS Osman, the Bangladeshi peacekeepers add a Lebanese twist to their Ramadan praying routine. Taking their cue from the prayer calls of the Mohamad Al Amine mosque in downtown Beirut, they pray together with the Lebanese Muslims at that mosque and around Beirut.

Ramadan on the BNS Osman is as close to Ramadan in Bangladesh as possible. The Bangladeshi peacekeepers miss their families and loved ones and are trying to feel at home on their ship, thousands of miles away from Bangladesh.

Ramadan Karim.