This is Day 15 – halfway point – of the #30Days30Writers 2016 Ramadan series. By Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad As I scroll lazily through my newsfeed, I see the pre-requisite (somewhat amusing) annual “moon wars” are in full swing. Because of course it wouldn’t be Ramadan without incessant debate about whether or not to go with an international vs local hilal sighting. But I also see colorful, cheerful e-cards, friends wishing loved ones a blessed start to the holy month, cool... Read more
This is Day 14 of the #30Days30Writers 2016 Ramadan series. By Fouad Pervez “Asalaam alaikum, Fouad,” Abdur-Rahman, a high school freshman with a big smile and mischievous eyes says as he greets me with a handshake. He keeps a straight face, although he starts chuckling soon after. Abdur-Rahman has jumped in front of a good 30 people patiently waiting in line for food. He thinks he’s slick. “Walaikum asalaam,” I reply, giving him a good amount of side eye and... Read more
This is Day 13 of the #30Days30Writers 2016 Ramadan series. By Charles M. Turner Every Ramadan, I open my Quran and begin the month-long task of reading it to completion. It feels routine at first, something I’ve come to expect. Yet, when I open to those first few pages, I’m struck with a sense of dread at one particular part. And, it happens every year. In the beginning of the second chapter of the Quran, God speaks about the difference... Read more
This is day 12 of the #30Days30Writers 2016 Ramadan series. By Edina Lekovic For me, Ramadan is a deep spiritual spring cleaning for the soul. Like many Muslims, I set goals each year even, as I dread its arrival and the disruption it causes. The lost sleep, the hunger pangs, the crankiness — challenges inside and out. But that’s also the beauty I find in it as soon as I enter: The disruption in my regular routine forces a kind... Read more
This is Day 11 of the #30Days30Writers 2016 Ramadan series. By Sameera Qureshi “Raise your hand if you’ve ever faked fasting when you’re on your period.” I posed the question and then looked around the room of 25 seventh grade girls and saw that 80 percent of them had their hands raised. Some were looking directly at me, perhaps hoping that I’d understand why, while others had their gazes directed down towards the floor. I was not shocked by the... Read more
This is Day 10 of the #30Days30Writers 2016 Ramadan series. By Ismat Mangla In the aftermath of this weekend’s horrific shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, details continue to emerge about Omar Mateen, the man who slaughtered 49 people in cold blood and left another 53 wounded. We’ve learned that he was a U.S. citizen, born to parents of Afghan origin. We’ve heard that perhaps he had frequented that nightclub as a patron in the past and been on... Read more
This is day nine of the #30Days30Writers 2016 Ramadan series – a double entry today. These are the remarks of Dr. Sherman A. Jackson made at the Janaza prayer of Muhammad Ali, the people’s champ, who made being a Muslim relevant, who recognized how important it was to put forth an inclusive Islam. By Dr. Sherman A. Jackson June 9, 2016, Louisville, KY — I would like to begin by extending my heartfelt condolences to the family of our beloved champion, Muhammad... Read more
This is Day Nine of the #30Days30Writers 2016 Ramadan series. By Imam Fakhruddin Owaisi Cape Town: Ramadan is one of God’s great blessings upon us. What I personally love the most about Ramadan is that it brings the best out of Muslims. Even the corrupt become pious. The miserly become generous. The rude become polite. The cruel become kind. The heedless become conscious. The immodest become modest. In short, Ramadan gives us hope. Ramadan proves to us that every person has the... Read more
This is Day Eight of the #30Days30Writers 2016 Ramadan series. Editors note: The following are remarks made by Dalia Mogahed at the Janaza prayers for Muhammad Ali, which are more important to read and reflect on now more than ever — to recognize a man many in the American Muslim community look to as a true, positive representation of Muslims as we mourn the loss of so many from the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida. By Dalia Mogahed We are all gathered... Read more
This is Day Seven of the #30Days30Writers 2016 Ramadan series. By Kristin Szremski Eventually, I stopped praying. It happened gradually. First, I’d oversleep Fajr, and then I’d be too tired for Ishaa. Then without notice, my prayers nearly ceased. I became confused. I was lost, and I ushered in a spiritual crisis of my own making. Like John Steinbeck’s character Ethan Hawley in “The Winter of our Discontent,” I grew restless and ungrateful. I entered the Year of My Discontent.... Read more
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