By Hanadi Chehab, American Diversity Report

Two events taking place in one venue occurred in the community of Plymouth, MN on Friday, July 10, 2015. As Muslims are witnessing the last few days of the fasting month of Ramadan, an “Interfaith Iftar”, or fast-breaking meal, and a “Night of Power” event joined forces to host 300 people, a mix of different faiths, ages and backgrounds, in the heart of the local mosque, North West Islamic Community Center (NWICC).

The objective was to familiarize people with the lives of Muslims and give them a chance to witness them worshiping in the most sacred month of the year. In Ramadan, the 9th lunar month, also called the month of the Quran, Muslim adults fast from before the break of dawn until sunset, abstaining from food, water and any intimate physical activity. In North America, the fast can range from 15 to 18 hours. In the “Night of Power” event, a group of Muslim families invited their neighbors, friends and colleagues to witness a fast-breaking meal together. “In a way, it was intimidating to ask people to join. We did it because we want to share our faith. Islam is a beautiful religion and people will witness that for themselves in the heart of our place of worship,” said Mona who invited her colleague.

Continue reading at American Diversity Report

Follow Engage Minnesota on FaceBook or Twitter

Hanadi Chehab is a writer and blogger currently living in Minnesota, with her family of three children. Previously published on MinnPost and http://www.asamuslima.com. 
Before coming to the US Hanadi was a communication specialist working across different media platforms. She was a creative editor, previous TV presenter and program manager, jury member for various award shows in the Middle East, and reporter of the Cannes Advertising Festival. At the beginning of her career as a copywriter, Hanadi was awarded the Gold award for Cannes Young Lions on behalf of United Arab Emirates.

WANT TO ADD YOUR VOICE?

If you like this piece, share it on social media.  We invite you to join us in this project on our social media sites.  We welcome your voice to the Comment section below — or consider writing a commentary, podcast or photo story. (For more information, email engageminnesota@gmail.com.)