Observed by Muslims, the holy 

month of Ramadan sets forth a 

month of fasting, spiritual reflection 

and personal growth. Muslims are 

intrinsically joined together by 

group prayers, shared meals and 

charitable 
activities, 
propelling 

the meaning of Ramadan through 

connectedness. 
Exemplifying 

this connectedness is Dearborn, 

Mich., one of the largest Muslim 

communities in the U.S.

Encapsulating 
the 
unique 

experience that is Ramadan in 

Dearborn is difficult; in broadest 

terms, 

Dearborn 
becomes 
its 
most 

vibrant version of itself showcasing 

diversity 
and 
connectedness. 

Restaurants extend their hours 

(some even until 5 a.m.), mosques 

become 
filled 
with 
people 

praying and socializing, young 

entrepreneurs open food stands, 

community members rally together 

for charitable causes and gratitude 

becomes inherent.

When asked what motivated 

him to start a food stand during 

last Ramadan, Business sophomore 

Adam Bazzi responded, “Growing 

up in Dearborn, I’ve had the luxury 

of being able to enjoy Ramadan in a 

way that not many other Muslims 

around the country can say they 

have, and what really drove us to 

open our stand was to add to that 

uniqueness through connecting our 

community in a meaningful way.” 

With social distancing in full 

effect, the Dearborn community will 

have to redefine what community 

connectedness means during this 

unprecedented Ramadan. 

“Community 
connectedness 

will no longer exist through shared 

meals, bonfires, festivals and food 

stands, but come from the fact that 

we will be social distancing and 

fasting together,” LSA senior, Silan 

Fadlallah said. 

Last 
Ramadan, 
more 
than 

12,000 
people 
attended 
the 

annual Ramadan Suhoor Festival, 

which was created by community 

members to combine Suhoor, the 

pre-dawn meal Muslims have each 

day before fasting, with charity. 

Social distancing has canceled the 

community gathering component 

of the Ramadan Suhoor Festival 

but their pillar of charity lives 

on through their current work. 

Currently, 
the 
organizers 
of 

the festival are utilizing their 

platform to gather donations for 

N95 face masks for local hospitals 

and funeral homes in Dearborn. 

More than 12,000 masks will be 

distributed this upcoming week. 

Hassan Chami, founder of the 

Ramadan Suhoor Festival, wants 

to inspire community members to 

invest in their spirituality.

“Ramadan will definitely be 

different this year, and will be 

one to remember. With Ramadan 

approaching 
us 
during 
these 

uncommon times, God has created 

a platform for us to build a stronger 

and more spiritual relationship 

with him by limiting our normal 

worldly distractions,” Chami said. 

“For this reason, I hope to take 

advantage of this Ramadan as we 

don’t know if we’ll ever have a time 

like this again.”

With 
a 
new 
definition 
of 

community connectedness, there 

comes the question, “where are 

Muslims left spiritually?” LSA 

freshman 
Noor 
Moughni, 
a 

columnist on Michigan in Color, 

reflected on how she will continue 

her spiritual journey while social 

distancing.

 “The time I would’ve spent 

waiting in line at Bohemian Bowls, 

bonding with others over how 

amazing the almond butter there 

is, I will now spend on my prayer 

rug, exploring my spirituality and 

the complexities of faith,” Moughni 

said. “Ramadan this year will be my 

time to realign my beliefs. A time to 

escape the confusion of the world 

and confide in God. I look forward 

to a month devoted to reflection and 

self-improvement. I look forward to 

an isolated Ramadan.”

Dearborn’s experience with this 

year’s Ramadan is a microcosm of 

what the greater Muslim world will 

be facing. Despite the community 

isolation Muslims worldwide will 

experience, the true essence of 

Ramadan will prevail: A reminder 

to Muslims that all is temporary and 

that faith transcends all adversities 

— 
even 
a 
global 
pandemic. 

Muslims will be able to experience 

spirituality in its truest form: 

isolated.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan in Color
Monday, April 20, 2020 — 4

MALAK WAZNE /Wikimedia Commons

12,000 people attended the 2019 Ramadan Suhoor Festival, held annually in Dearborn, Mich.

MAYA KADOUH

MiC Columnist

HIBA DAGHER

MiC Columnist

UNSPLASH

An isolated Ramadan 

My family,

rose from the mud 

to make matters more pleasant for me. 

From my environment,

I cultivated primal instincts

and learned about survivability.

The king of our jungle had 

an igneous spirit.

Still I’ve come to learn that powers exist, 

which could move mountains.

This seemed impossible, 

I grew up idolizing the posture of a rock: 

the immovable object, the unaffected entity. 

Some things are above me and not 

because they’re heavenly;

but I miss when that meant,

the vast never ending sky.

I try to understand the underhanded

movements which control society.

Silently sliding my environment’s tectonics, 

unbeknownst to them this would leave my life 

reminiscent of the ground zero of 

a nuclear bombing.

We lived from the earth and paid the country’s dues,

worked hard to be polished people, 

doing what we had to do

to get through.

Lived off the earth, 

we bonded by nurturing its creatures, 

prepping grain in exchange for early morning melodies.

Unable to fulfill the hollow feeling

“they”

have left me with me,

unlike the deciduous tree who deals with ICE

in a seasonal stride.

But the sun will shine tomorrow and today

just as it did yesterday.

Together forever and never we stray.

‘Gallo de Oro’

ROBERTO SANCHEZ

MiC Columnist

A reading list to celebrate Arab Heritage Month (and beyond)

In case you didn’t know, what 

with the whole global pandemic 

and everything, we’re right in the 

middle of Arab Heritage Month! 

In the U.S., April is dedicated to 

celebrating the rich history, culture 

and contemporary voices of Arabs 

and Arab Americans. And what 

better way to celebrate than with 

new reading material!

For the poets:

Water and Salt

 by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha

Lena Khalaf Tuffaha’s debut 

collection of poetry, “Water and 

Salt” gives a voice for those (past, 

present and future) who have been 

forever marred by displacement 

from their home country. It explores 

loss, suffering and unimaginable 

pain, but also strength, defiance, 

resilience and determination. It’s a 

gorgeous collection of poetry and a 

forever recommendation.

For those who love fantasy:

The Map of Salt and Stars 

by Zeyn Joukhader

In 
Zeyn 
Joukhader’s 
debut 

novel, he takes readers on a 

beautiful journey that follows the 

parallel stories of Nour, a young 

Syrian girl who flees her homeland 

and travels across North Africa 

with her family, and Rawiya, a 

12th-century 
adventurer 
who 

disguises herself as a boy in order 

to apprentice herself to a famous 

mapmaker.

For those who love fantasy:

Sitt Marie Rose by Etal Adnan

Sitt Marie Rose is one of those books 

that, once you start reading, you can’t 

put it down. Set before and during the 

Lebanese Civil War, the novel creates 

a split between West and East Beirut, 

Muslim and Christian, Lebanese, 

Syrian and Palestinian, and explores 

how all of these variables interacted 

with one another during the Civil War. 

Adnan critiques sexism, xenophobia 

and the idea that a single person can 

speak for all the people in Lebanon.

For the feminist:

Him Me and Muhammad Ali 

by Randa Jarrar

Randa Jarrar is a writer, memoirist, 

and comedian sharing her experience 

as a Muslim American born of 

Egyptian and Palestinian parents. 

SAnd she’s not only an incredible 

writer, but she’s a Michigan alum 

too! Her work is biting, funny, and 

brilliantly honest. If you end up falling 

in love with this collection of short 

stories, you should definitely check out 

her debut novel, A Map of Home.

