Hawzah News Agency (Winnpeg - Canada)  - Winnipeg's Muslim community is doing things a little differently this Ramadan.

Standing outside the city's Grand Mosque on Friday evening, Masroor Khan said up to 400 people usually gather inside every night during the holy month for iftar — the evening meal Muslims eat when they break their fast at sunset — provided by the mosque.

But with public health orders limiting gatherings in Manitoba and mandating the closure of all non-essential businesses to slow the spread of COVID-19, finding a way to observe Ramadan traditions this year was a challenge for Winnipeg's Muslim community.

But not one they couldn't overcome, said Khan, the president of the Canada Pakistan Trade and Cultural Association of Manitoba.

"We cannot get together, we cannot talk and sit and eat together, but we can definitely serve in some form or another," he said.

"It's very saddening," for the community not to be able to gather, he said, which is why organizations knew they had to come up with a plan to observe the holy month while respecting public health rules.

"You're trying to somehow mitigate that kind of sadness, and offset that kind of negative impact on people. We want them to be optimistic. We want our organization to be a ray of hope for them."