This is Day 13 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Sabina Khan-Ibarra “Allah created one hundred units of mercy on the day Allah created the heavens and the earth. Each one of them can contain all that is between the heaven and the earth. Of them, Allah put one on earth, through which a mother has compassion for her children and animals and birds have compassion for one another. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will perfect and... Read more

This is Day 13 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Dilshad D. Ali This night, like so many nights, is spent rocking in the rocking chair while uttering whatever du’as I know in his darkened bedroom. Sometimes I’m there as a presence when he is upset, anxious and restless — knowing he doesn’t want to be touched but hoping my presence by his bed, my hand on the mattress close enough to feel his warmth without aggravating him... Read more

This is Day 13 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Sarah Ager The thought of attending the mosque tends to bring me out in a cold sweat. I’m not even joking. An actual real life mosque visit requires an extra preemptive layer of deodorant. It would be all too easy for me to dwell on the negative experiences I’ve had in mosques in Italy. That time I was ushered into a broom cupboard to pray because the men... Read more

This is Day 12 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Sabira Dewji The media these days is all about the “oppressed” Muslimah, be it CNN or some Pro-Muslim media. We are told by many that we are “un-mosqued” and “second class citizens.” There is so much noise out there that I just want to say, “SHUT UP!” While I don’t want to discount the discrimination within Muslim communities, we have to admit that we are not ONE community;... Read more

This is Day 12 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Donelle Bergeson During my first Ramadan, I was a Christian. I was in seminary, completing my M.Div., and had befriended a Muslim through Facebook over the summer. After a month or so of our long-distance chats, I found myself asking: Why don’t I know more about Islam? I had yet to complete my “Cross-Cultural” requirement for graduation, so with some help from my advisor, a scholar of the... Read more

This is Day 11 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Sarah Said “I can’t find my shoes, Mom!” my seven-year old self cried. We looked and looked after Taraweeh prayer for my shoes. My mom was exhausted and anxious to leave. There was only one pair of little girls’ shoes and it was not mine. “Either go with no shoes or just find a pair that fits!” my mom yelled as the masjid was emptying. Eventually, an older... Read more

This is Day 10 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Fazeela Selberg Zaib My family and I are spending Ramadan in Spain this year. As there is no mosque in Ronda, where we are staying, and we wished to pray our Friday prayer in congregation, my friend, her mother and our three children headed to Marbella, home to a beautifully situated mosque with an ocean backdrop. I wonder if people in Marbella realise the amount of spiritual tourism... Read more

This is Day 10 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Asra Zaheeruddin Corcoran In 2013 my husband and I were in Karachi, Pakistan for the first time and spent the month of Ramadan there. This was my first Ramadan experience in a Muslim country and I was delighted to have this experience. My husband is Caucasian, having converted in 2010. Being born and raised as a Muslim in US, I was used to life as normal during Ramadan.... Read more

This is Day 9 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Eman Hassaballa Aly If you want to see the dark side of a community, feed hordes of fasting people. It’s like they’ve never eaten before in their life. Ramadan means a lot of things to me, but for this piece, I’m going to focus on the food part. I want to talk about how I’ve been spending my Saturdays for many years with food, lots of food. But... Read more

This is Day 8 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Anisha Ismail Patel It’s 1987 and I’m fourteen years old living in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, a country in southern Africa. Every year my father drives us to the countryside to search for the Ramadan moon. There in the velvet sky we detect the peaceful and regal crescent.  We scream with joy. My father warm-heartedly leads us in a prayer for sighting the new moon. Ramadan is... Read more