Breaking fast with a Muslim convert

Ramadan had previously been a "lonely" affair for Mr Mikhail Goh.

His typical pre-dawn meal would be at 5am, and would eat alone, day after day, while the rest of his family members remained asleep.

Sometimes, YouTube videos on his phone were his only form of company.

Mr Goh, 28, was born into a Buddhist family.

Last year, he became a Muslim convert after he began to learn about Islam four years ago.

Fasting this year was different. He welcomed Ramadan with his wife Ms Tengku Suzana Tengku Abdul Kadir, whom he married in February this year.

"Ramadan is very different this year since I married Suzana. Her family has been very welcoming. It's a heartwarming feeling knowing that you are not doing it alone," said Mr Goh.

Ms Suzana, 27, added with a laugh: "My family is worried that he will go hungry so they make sure they feed him enough in the morning."

The couple are two out of the three co-founders of Have Halal, Will Travel (HHWT), an online food and travel publication for Muslim travellers.

They met in 2010 as business management undergraduates at Singapore Management University.

In 2013, they went on an exchange programme in Seoul, Korea, together with HHWT's third co-founder Elaine Tee.

That six-month trip not only sparked the idea for HHWT, but also piqued Mr Goh's interest in Islam.

Together with Ms Suzana, he started attending classes at Muslim Converts' Association of Singapore (Darul Arqam) to gain knowledge about the religion.

"I fell in love with its message of peace," he explains.

"In the news right now, you see a lot of hate, killings and violence. But I see Islam very differently. To me, Islam is about peace, love, integration and unity among Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

"That resonated deeply with me," said Mr Goh.

Spreading the message of peace and integration is also the goal of HHWT, which launched in 2015. Its app launched in 2016.

HHWT was founded on the values shared by the three good friends and co-founders.

Said Mr Goh: "When Elaine and I travelled with Suzana in Korea, it never crossed our minds that we should eat something different from Suzana even though we had a choice. We were more than happy to seek out halal food options with her.

"And just like our story, we hope that through HHWT, Muslims and non-Muslims come together and integrate while having fun doing what they love - travelling. We hope to promote an understanding among Muslims and non Muslims as they learn more about different cultures around the world."

Perhaps, for Mr Goh, this need runs even deeper because of his journey as a Muslim convert and the snide remarks that he received.

"When people found out that I was going to convert, some friends asked, 'You mean you cannot eat pork anymore?'"

Some questions were more hurtful.

"'Why do you even go out with a Muslim girl?' That was one of the most barbed comments that I have ever received," he recalled.

For both Mr Goh and Ms Suzana, their interracial and interreligious relationship was not without its challenges, with plenty of apprehension from both their families.

This was even though Ms Suzana's Chinese mother is a Muslim convert herself.

"My parents know only too well the challenges of such a relationship so she didn't want me to face the same challenges.

"They wanted me to be with someone who is sincere, someone who converts because he believes in Islam and not because I'm a Muslim. I also wanted to make sure that Mikhail really understood about Islam and loved Islam as much as I do. Thankfully, it worked out well," said Ms Suzana.

For Mr Goh, every day continues to be a journey of learning and self-reflection, with his wife by his side.

"If you ask me, prayer is the thing I look forward to each day. It's a chance to find your centre and reflect on how your actions impact your community. Every day, I think about that and it really helps me get through the difficult times," he said.