“What gifts does your faith tradition bring to the table, and what gifts in other faiths do you admire and would like to adopt?” the Bishop asked.
Read moreRamadan: A Letter, A Visit & A Gift
Ramadan Daily Good Deeds Calendar
It was the day before Ramadan, when I got an email from a Rabbi. “Ramadan Mubarak….Are you around today? I would love to come and sit with you for a few minutes simply to be together and mourn the painful loss of life in Israel/Palestine.”
Read moreCan Eid Be Bittersweet?
Ramadan is over and yesterday we all celebrated Eid ul Fitr. But for many, Eid was bittersweet.
Read moreAround The World In Ramadan. Part 3: Ramadan in USA
Iftar dinner at the White House
At first, I stopped fasting. I had come to the US in 1971, a newly wed bride. In Pakistan I would fast regularly, but here in NY, the communal sense that goes with fasting was missing. No iftar gatherings, no one around you fasting, no Muslim community, no sounds of adhan
Read moreAround The World In Ramadan. Part 2: Saudi Arabia
No one celebrates Ramadan with as much festivity as do the Saudis. I lived there for six years. Ramadan is the highlight of the year. The entire focus of the nation shifts and you live it and breathe it. For one thing, day turns into night, and night into day.
Read moreAround The World In Ramadan. Part 1: Pakistan
Communal iftar in a mosque
My earliest memories of Ramadan are in Pakistan. A child of seven, I would plead with my parents, ‘please, please, can I fast?’ It seemed exciting, such a grown-up thing to do. Mummy let me fast for half a day when I turned 10, but just for a day.
Read moreIf I Am Not For Myself, Who Will Be For Me? But If I Am Only For Myself . . . .
Mayor Bill de Blasio at Ramadan iftar at MCN
Ramadan is meant to be a time when we are compelled to be at our best.
It is a time for reflection, when we strive to overcome our weaknesses.
It is a time for prayer, beseeching God to guide us on the right path.
It is a time to overcome temptation, lest we stray.
It is a time to be charitable towards our fellow human beings, to love our neighbor as we would love ourselves,
It is a time when the best in us prevails.
It didn’t work for Omar Mateen, the alleged killer in the Orlando shooting.