Share Ramadan experiences through storytelling digital collective launched

As Muslims begin to observe Ramadan, a southern Ontario-based artist and activist has launched a campaign he hopes will bridge a gap between cultures.

It’s a digital storytelling initiative designed to help foster a better understanding of the holy month.

The organizer, who goes by his artist name @studentAsim, said he wants people to know that Ramadan is about so much more than fasting and prayer.

“It’s a spiritual pump, you know like you feel like a different person,” he explained.

“Tell a Ramadan Story” invites people from all walks of life to write a story about their Ramadan experience, and share it with an online collective.

“Whether you’re directly from the Muslim community or from the wider community, this is an open call for everyone,” said @studentAsim. “It’s a collective opportunity to tell stories about Ramadan. Even if you have overlap, even if your neighbour is participating and you know something about it. The whole point is that it creates a context, and it creates a better understanding of Ramadan.”

“It can be very inspirational to help people strive,” said Imam Abd Alfatah Twakkal, a Muslim Community faith leader based in London, Ont.

“To be able to see the variety and peoples’ experiences and how they benefited from things in Ramadan is a beautiful thing,” he added.

He reflected on his own Ramadan experiences as a child.

“Ramadan was always a time of great joy, and you know the family experiences that I would go through in terms of being able to break fast together with my parents and my siblings, and then going to the mosque to pray at night,” he explained. “Those are always things that have a deep impact in my experiences and in my memories, and we hope to continue those traditions with my own family.”

Anyone wishing to take part in the Ramadan digital story collective can go to their website. 

“No story is too small,” said @studentAsim. “We encourage everyone to share and experience. At the same we invite Canadians to come to the platform and read the stories that other people have submitted.”