This is Day 6 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Ala Ahmad The imam stands in front of our congregation and begins his khatirah, the mid-Taraweeh short lecture. He begins with a familiar introduction, and then, he continues, in Arabic. While I speak, read, and write Arabic fluently, I have a hard time keeping up. No matter how hard I focus, I cannot make out the lesson or overall topic of the khatira, especially with the bustle of... Read more

This is Day 6 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Amanda Quraishi A couple weeks ago I attended a pre-Ramadan Open House at the mosque closest to my house. It’s an annual event, and my family has attended for the past few years along with dozens of other Muslims from our city to host non-Muslim guests (including local dignitaries). The event features a lecture about the meaning of Ramadan, a Q&A session with a panel of Imams, an... Read more

This is Day 5 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Hanna Miri There is a masjid I know very well. It’s my local masjid. And while I would not consider myself a regular masjid-goer, (I prefer praying alone at home) there are times I need community and connection. When I do manage to go, I have hope in achieving an “Iman Rush”- which comes from having prayed with no distractions and with concentration. I remember fondly one Jummah... Read more

This is Day 4 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Samar Kaukab The lights are dimmed on the chandelier. The air is hushed and quiet. Though my hometown mosque is crowded, there is an airiness that surrounds. Be quiet enough and you can almost hear an otherworldly presence joining in worship and praise of the Divine. Women and a few adolescent children line up in neat rows, their clothing brightly colored, loose, their scarves and chadors large, voluminous,... Read more

This is Day 3 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Saaema Alavi As Salaam’Alaykum [peace be upon you] & Ramaḍhān Kareem, Last year I began taking my father to tarāwēeḥ prayers hosted by MECCA Masjid. During the weekday nights tarāwēeḥ took place at Ashton Place Banquet facility located in Willowbrook, IL. The same holds true once again this Ramaḍhān and tonight marked our 3rd tarāwēeḥ prayer in this blessed month. Aside from the architectural elements contributing to beauty... Read more

This is Day Two of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Laura P As an unmarried convert, Ramadan has always been a solitary experience for me. I eat suhur alone, and have only been to a few iftars in my 16 years of being a Muslim. Compounding my isolation, I’ve been unmosqued most of that time. In the last year, I’ve started going to jumu’a again after more than 10 years away. I still feel that I’m mostly on... Read more

For about two years now, I have been negotiating the fact that I am a convert to Islam born and raised in Mexico and with an Indigenous background. To add to that, I am an immigrant to Turtle Island (better known as Canada), and I feel eternally ashamed of having sworn loyalty to the Queen of England during my citizenship ceremony. For me, this action was a legitimization of colonial practices and an erasure of the suffering of Indigenous peoples... Read more

Humid Midwest days and warm starry nights. Fireworks, late night ice cream, water balloon fights at community iftar picnics. The promise of spending the second day of Eid at Six Flags with our friends. Chasing firebugs at twilight. My earliest Ramadan memories are pure summer. Since  school is out, my sister and I tag along with our parents to the special nightly prayers at the mosque, even though we are too young to fast. My community is small enough to... Read more