Ramadan Is Meant to Be Shared

August 02, 2011 by Dilshad Ali

Continued from Page 1

Those who want to hate Muslims, those who want to mistrust us, those who seek to paint all American Muslims with a monolithic brush—I know we won't be able to reach them with our Ramadan experiences. But there's a wide swath of Americans who don't know what to think about their fellow American Muslims, who are on the fence, so to speak, about how we fit into the American landscape. And while I don't think we need to prove that we can be American and Muslim, sharing our Ramadan joy and experiences (as we already are doing) can only serve to show everyone the beauty and wonder of the way we know.

This is the Ramadan story I want to cover—how this holy month continues to help us grow our bonds as a Muslim community by the shared practice of fasting, worship, and prayer, of seeking to better ourselves and letting go of bad habits. By so doing, we are doing many of the same things that make up the cornerstones of this country and of all humanity—becoming good people, giving up what is bad or harmful, and growing closer to God.

Check back to Patheos to learn more about the Ramadan and American Muslims this month, and be sure to read a special Ramadan blog—"Spiritual Appetite: Observing Ramadan with Wajahat Ali"—to get a taste of the entire Ramadan experience—the good, the tough, the struggles, and the sublime

Happy Ramadan!

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About Dilshad Ali

Dilshad D. Ali is managing editor of the Muslim Portal at Patheos. An experienced journalist, she has covered Islam and Muslims in America for more than ten years for a variety of print and online media outlets, including Beliefnet and Illume, Islamica, and Azizah Magazines.

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